In the race to save the planet, the technology powering Virgin Hyperloop potentially could lead the charge in reducing the carbon impact of global transportation, one of the largest contributors to climate change, by more than 25 percent, according to Virgin Hyperloop CEO and co-founder Josh Giegel.
"Transportation is the largest emitter in the U.S., it's about 29 percent," Giegel told Cheddar. "So things like electric vehicles, last mile, ride-sharing, all of those things are making a dent."
Virgin Hyperloop uses an electric propulsion system to transport pods from one place to another through a low-pressure tube. Giegel said that the pods can transport people or goods at the speed of conventional airplanes while consuming 10 times less energy.
"But we need to look at mass transportation systems for people, for cargo and that's the opportunity for hyperloop, is that we can live in this century and the next century with technology that allows us to move at these speeds and save this amount of time without having to, i'll say, destroy the planet around us," he said. "It's really sustainability without sacrifice."
The pods also would be able to seat 25 to 35 passengers, take them directly to their destinations without making additional stops, and the service would be "on-demand," allowing passengers to move at their own pace without sticking to a strict departure schedule, according to the CEO. Giegel and colleague Sara Luchian were the first live passengers to test the technology in November of last year.
As global communities continue to seek transportation options that are more climate-conscious, Giegel said he expects technologies similar to Virgin Hyperloop to become more mainstream. He pointed to the coronavirus pandemic's impact on the environment, which led to a reduction in greenhouse gas pollution and even exposed a need for speedier, efficient transportation for vaccine distribution.
"The focus on sustainability, I think, is really, really refreshing and that there's opportunity like here in the U.S. or wherever it might be to 'build back better,' to use the technology of the future to, I'll say, enable the future that we want, which is fast, it's electric, it's clean," he said. "I'm just seeing a much more rapid view on getting people into sustainable modes of transport a heck of a lot faster."
According to a survey, 45% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year. Amit Paley, CEO and Executive Director of The Trevor Project, joins Cheddar Pride to address LGBTQ youth mental health.
Reepher is a Salt Lake City-based company that offers a prepaid legal defense plan for cannabis DUIs. CEO and co-founder Justin Kahn joined Cheddar News to break down the business model, explaining how lawful users may be in trouble when being pulled over by police. "The reason is because cannabis users have THC and cannabis cannabinoids in their system regardless of the last time that they consumed," he said. "Any regular cannabis user is at risk, or they're one mistake away from having an interaction with a police officer that could lead them to be suspected of being under the influence of cannabis."
Elon Musk is demanding his Tesla employees to return to the office full time, a minimum of at least 40 hours a week. The CEO also took a shot at other companies who have some form of work-from-home status. The ultimatum comes at a tumultuous time for Musk with the reveal of a sexual misconduct scandal and his attempted Twitter purchase.
Bindu Sundaresan, Director, AT&T Cybersecurity, joins Cheddar to discuss best practices and important cybersecurity milestones to hit for any organization, and how small business owners can think about cyber beyond technology and compliance.
Marques Ogden, former NFL offensive lineman turned author and celebrity success coach, joins Cheddar to discuss his career transition after his NFL playing days and how he overcame a low point to prioritize family and re-shape his life as a success coach.
Mark Bowen, General Manager at Midnight Sun in San Francisco, joins Cheddar to discuss how the pandemic affected LGBTQ+ nightlife and the return to work for service industry workers.
On this episode of On the Job, Mark Bowen, General Manager at Midnight Sun in San Francisco, discusses how the pandemic affected LGBTQ+ nightlife and the return to work for service industry workers; Drew Lewis, VP Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion & Talent, ADP, breaks down how DE&I practices can drive greater business value and how organizations can effectively create an action plan for supporting DE&I in the workplace.
Drew Lewis, VP Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion & Talent, ADP, joins Cheddar to break down how DE&I practices can drive greater business value and how organizations can effectively create an action plan for supporting DE&I in the workplace.
