Elon Musk wants to build a high-speed ground transport system that could travel between LA and San Francisco in less then 20 minutes. The concept, dubbed "Hyperloop," is a series of maglev-powered pneumatic tubes that could propel passengers in capsules at speeds upwards of 800 miles per hour.

Earlier this month, the Tesla Motors and SpaceX founder announced an open source contest for engineers to design the Hyperloop pods. Next summer, they'll be able to test those designs on a one-mile test track that SpaceX is building adjacent to their headquarters in Hawthorne.

Musk pitched Hyperloop in 2013 after seeing the proposal for the California High-Speed Rail, which would be capable of making the LA to San Francisco trip in just under three hours. The Hyperloop concept would be cheaper, more efficient, more resistant to earthquakes and way, way faster. It would also be lined with solar panels, making it a net energy producer.

SpaceX is not interested in making a profit off of Hyperloop, but rather wants any good ideas to come out of the contest to be used for other projects of the sort.

The future is now, Angelenos.

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