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Elon Musk will 'probably' build Hyperloop prototype

Elon Musk will 'probably' build Hyperloop prototype

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Elon Musk may have no plans to personally build the full-scale Hyperloop bridging San Francisco and Los Angeles, but he's "probably" going to create a prototype of some sort. During a live conference call following the unveiling of his Hyperloop design, Musk seemingly decided on the spot that he would eventually follow through on the idea. "I've been thinking about that, and I'm somewhat tempted to at least make a demonstration prototype," he said.

"Maybe I should do the beginning bit..."

"I've sort of come around a little bit on my thinking here that maybe I should do the beginning bit and build a subscale version that's operating." Musk said ironing out full details on a potential demonstration Hyperloop is a "tricky" process. But nonetheless, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO said he would "probably end up doing that." The busy executive warned that it wouldn't be an immediate priority, ranked behind his ongoing commitments. "I would like to see it come to fruition."

Musk said this prototype would be constructed in a "test area" that wouldn't require local clearance, allowing him to move faster in executing on his vision. But again, such a project remains years off, and he's encouraging others to take the lead if they're unwilling to wait. "If somebody else does the demo, that'll be really awesome." But make no mistake: he's thinking about it. Musk revealed that he's already dedicated "some full-time days" to researching a Hyperloop alpha. "If it was my top priority, I could probably get it done in one or two years," he said, suggesting somewhere between three and four years to be a more realistic timeframe.