TESLA OR SPACEX OR SOMEBODY ELON MUSK KNOWS IS PLANNING TO BUILD A 5-MILE HYPERLOOP TEST TRACK, PROBABLY IN TEXAS 
Speaking at a Texas transportation forum in Austin today, Elon Musk said plans are afoot to build a 5-mile test track for the Hyperloop pneumatic-tube-like transportation system the entrepreneur and engineer and billionaire outlined 18 months ago — and that the “leading candidate” for the site was somewhere in Texas. The track — a low-pressure environment inside a set of steel tubes, meant to allow pods to move inside at speeds of up to 760 mph — would be privately funded, but open to universities and research institutions interested in developing and iterating on the prototype transportation technology. In a couple of follow-up tweets, Musk described the test track as a site where students and others could test out their own pod designs, and even suggested a Formula SAE-style annual student Hyperloop pod racer competition. Musk’s SpaceX launch facility is located near Brownsville. Not coincidentally, the Tesla CEO said he also plans to reintroduce legislation this year that would end Texas laws that block the electric-car manufacturer from selling directly to consumers. [Ars Technica; The Verge; previously on Swamplot] Drawing of Hyperloop prototype design: Tesla Motors
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Could someone that’s in favor of the law that states car manufactures can’t sell direct, please explain why? This makes no sense to me.
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I typically don’t like most laws anyway, but this one just seems dumb. It’s almost like the “no uber allowed” laws.
@Cody –
You know the answer. Vested interests and a seriously outdated model. It’ll eventually go but unfortunately it will take longer because dealer networks have more cash to throw at lobbyists.
Almost anyone that would come out in favor of the current law would work for a dealership or be involved somehow. It’s antiquated and anti-competitive, but ‘meant to protect the consumer’ and ‘level the playing field.’
@Cody: I can make a case for treating Uber like any other taxi company (because ultimately, they’re just a taxi company with automated dispatching), but I can’t make a good case for prohibiting direct auto sales.
“…the Tesla CEO said he also plans to reintroduce legislation this year…”
Did he elect himself to the Texas Legislature?
Exciting to think that a transportation system like that would actually work. And the idea that laws are in place in order to block the direct sales IN TX is outrageous but not completely surprising.
@Cody, if you’re interested in reading more, they regularly publish articles on the topic over at http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com, and the commentariat is generally well-informed and includes a good number of insiders. I believe the laws were basically set up to protect dealerships from the possibility of manufacturers deciding that they’d rather have a dealer’s market all to themselves, setting up direct sales down the road or across town, and putting them out business. Of course, the picture has changed greatly over the course of many decades, and these sales channels are now massive entrenched interests that are basically required by law to be in place, to the detriment of the automaker. The latter is just my opinion; I love cars but detest the experience of buying one, with all the sleaziness and high pressure sales tactics and runarounds and two-faced negotiation and UGH!
Thomas H. Friedkin (car dealer) donated $453,000 to politicians in Texas. (2011/2012)
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Gulf States Toyota PAC (Run by the aforementioned) donated $327000 to politicians in Texas. (2011/2012)
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Billy Joe “Red†McCombs (Car Dealer) donated $306,500 to Politicians in Texas (2011/2012)
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Texas Auto Dealers Association PAC donated $285,750 to Greg Abbot, David Dewhurst, Rick Perry & Susan Combs (2011/2012
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Do you hippies smell that? The free market is wonderful. All you have to do is grab your bootstraps, and buy your market share! I love the smell of internal combustion engines! Down with hippy sports cars!
Musk is so full of shit. He toyed with the state over the factory in SA, that was always going to Nevada. He’s fooling nobody now, the Legislature will tell him to go f##k himself.
Forget 205 mph on the rail line Texas Central Railway wants to build to Dallas. Put one of these babies in and it’ll take a 4 hour drive or a 1 1/2 hour HSR train ride down to 30 minutes or less. Can’t even get a pizza that fast anymore.
I don’t care to go anywhere through a tube at 760 mph.