3 ms·
Why go underground (expensive 3rd dimension down) when we have the whole 3rd dimension up almost unused? The freight can be trucked by large Zeppelins for exam
by trhway 3y ago
Why go underground (expensive 3rd dimension down) when we have the whole 3rd dimension up almost unused? The freight can be trucked by large Zeppelins for example (and electric at that with the most of the energy generated by the solar panels covering the upper surface of the Zeppelin https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38017937 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38017937). The issues are pure engineering ones. These freight Zeppelins can be fully automated, flying around any densely populated places.
- thfuran 3y agoA train car carries about a kiloton of cargo. How many zeppelins would that take? Edit: Actually, I can't count. Only a few hundred thousand pounds. That's still probably a bunch of zeppelinworths though.
- trhway 3y agoHinderburg-like at 100 ton itself can carry about 120 ton payload, ie. payload of 2 train cars.
- mynameisnoone 3y agoAnd where does one dock this massive beast in a city with controlled airspace?
- trhway 3y agoIn a distribution center outside of the city the cargo is transferred onto local electric Amazon/UPS/etc. delivery trucks/vans.
- dragonwriter 3y agoSo, the equivalent of a 100 car freight train would be a 50 Hindenburg zeppelin fleet?
- hughesjj 3y agoIt's actually fairly easy logistically imo Design the Zeppelin for literal tons of ballast, trade out sandbags/dirtbags for product or waste on docking, andaybe add an aerodynamic shield if you don't care about speed as much We already sacrifice significant speed for boats, but I grant they're several orders of magnitude better at balancing buoyancy with cargo given they flot in the water rather than atmosphere
- mynameisnoone 3y agoThat cannot operate in wind or inclement weather.
- tedunangst 3y agoJust shoot durable goods around with a railgun.