After receiving proposals from more than 2,600 organizations and individuals, downtown’s Hyperloop One last week selected 11 projects to consider for financing and construction of potential hyperloop systems.
The company drew the pitches as part of its Hyperloop One Global Challenge competition, which began in May and solicited business plans for potential routes. The 11 U.S. regional proposals will compete with 24 other bids from around the globe to be one of three that the company would study and possibly attempt to build.
Hyperloop technology is a vacuum tube transportation system some believe could whisk passengers and cargo along great distances at speeds far faster than airliners or bullet trains. Los Angeles has become a hotbed of hyperloop startups since the idea was put forth by Elon Musk, founder and chief executive of Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, in a 2013 white paper. In addition to Hyperloop One, the area is also home to Hyperloop Transportation Technologies of Playa Vista and downtown’s Arrivo, which launched in February.
Some proposed routes include a 257-mile track connecting Miami and Orlando, Fla.; a 64-mile route linking Boston; Providence, R.I.; and Somerset, N.J.; and a 121-mile track running from Los Angeles to San Diego.
“The journey time would be 12.5 minutes between San Diego and L.A.,” said Nick Earle, Hyperloop One’s senior vice president of global operations.
Such a transportation system, Earle argued, would change perceptions of Southern California.
“When you can link two big open areas in 12.5 minutes you actually create a super region,” he said.
Moreover, a speedy hyperloop system would also drastically change the way cargo is handled at local ports, and on regional railways and interstate highways, he added.
“You could have your equivalent of Amazon Prime same-day delivery even though you’re a small retailer,” he said, adding that it would also reduce trucking congestion. “We’ve estimated that hyperloop could take 6 million truck journeys off the highways (in the United States). It totally transforms supply chains and distribution in a way that hasn’t been possible before.”
Free Plans
Mobile-phone service provider FreedomPop launched family and small-business plans last month in the United States as part of an effort to offer its freemium wireless service to customers who want multiple lines.
The West L.A. company operates much in the way of a no-frills airline that charges little for flights but tacks on fees for baggage, extra leg room, and other perks. It offers free voice, texting, and data services up to a point, then charges for additional usage or ancillary services, such as a second phone number or anonymous web browsing.
With family and small-business plans, the company saw an opportunity to serve customers that want multiple lines but would not use the service heavily, said Chief Executive Stephen Stokols.
“Both of these plans are going after pretty significant segments,” he said. “It expands FreedomPop beyond the single consumer.”
The company’s small-business plan offers unlimited free talk and text, plus 2 gigabits of shared data for the first two users on the plan. Businesses that need more bandwidth can purchase more data starting at $10 a gigabit.
“A typical small business is 15 employees and they are spending $1,000 a phone (annually),” he said. “You could get away with $100 and $150 (a year with FreedomPop).”
Better for Business?
Better Business Bureau of Los Angeles & Silicon Valley Inc. launched a customer service app for California businesses last month.
The app allows customers to contact specific businesses to book appointments, make reservations, place orders, and ask for quotes through text messages. Businesses can reply through a mobile app or via messages forwarded to email accounts. The app costs accredited businesses $7 a month for each account and unaccredited businesses $10 a month.
While the app does not include the Better Business Bureau’s reviews, the nonprofit, co-headquartered downtown and in San Jose, said it would improve customer relations for small businesses that need better communication tools, especially with younger customers.
“Millennials prefer texting over voice,” noted Steve McFarland, the bureau’s chief executive.
The app could be useful to a number of different businesses, such as hotels, legal practices, and architecture firms, he added.
“The hotels are interested because instead of calling the front desk you just text someone to bring a martini or another towel to the beach,” McFarland said.
Staff Reporter Garrett Reim can be reached at [email protected] or (323) 549-5225, ext. 232.
