A tube transport company called ET3 said it has figured out a way to create a 'freeway' that its CEO Daryl Oster says can enable 'space travel on earth.'

Video: How tech could enable 'space travel on earth' Watch Now



Daryl Oster, CEO of ET3, said his tube transport company has attracted competition in the next generation transportation field--the most recognizable being Elon Musk's Hyperloop. Oster said that tubes, which enable car-sized passenger capsules, could be optimized for value, and could reshape how people travel, reducing labor and fuel costs to less than a tenth of the cost of flying. Hyperloop, Oster said, is regional, whereas ET3 is a "freeway" with access points all along the route.

TechRepublic caught up with Oster at the 2017 Smart Cincy Summit and you can watch the full interview above.

"Our vision is being able to travel from, say, here in Cincinnati to the Taj Mahal in under three hours for 50 bucks," said Oster.

"ET3 we call it a mag-lev limo, where it's a car-sized vehicle that operates in a network of tubes much like cars on a freeway," Oster said. "But, it would be international and global in scope."

At the Smart Cincy Summit, Mike Stanley, CEO of TransitX, talked about "tube travel" as well. Stanley was part of a panel on the future of mass transit and the role of infrastructure development in smart transportation. He talked to TechRepublic about a central paradox he sees regarding smart transportation.

"People are not willing to sacrifice personal convenience for the greater good," he said. He also discussed how to solve the problems that emerge when society's wants and needs are in conflict.

"I look at what the impossible dream is," Stanley said. "I'm talking about making car-free cities within five years."

You can watch Stanley's full interview with TechRepublic here.

Image: ET3

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