The universe according to MMM

[kalvado]

When you align your car on the pad, a tube will come up out of the front, under your hood, and tap into your engine power, re-routing power from the engine to the floating module. This way, you hitting the gas would power the propellers underneath instead of your wheels. Cars might be required to keep their car in neutral or park though during the trip. Once you reach land again, the module will detach the tube and retract itself back into the pad.

Just build a fucking tunnel under Lake Michigan

You realize that tunnel would be at least twice as long and 4 times as deep as the Chunnel, right?

Musk was flirting with idea of floating submerged tunnel. Quick google shows that it's fairly popular - but not realized- concept. Same concept transoceanic cables use - cable is at more or less constant depth, not on the bottom.
While pretty controversial technically, I would call that idea at least entertaining.

[Roadgeekteen]

When you align your car on the pad, a tube will come up out of the front, under your hood, and tap into your engine power, re-routing power from the engine to the floating module. This way, you hitting the gas would power the propellers underneath instead of your wheels. Cars might be required to keep their car in neutral or park though during the trip. Once you reach land again, the module will detach the tube and retract itself back into the pad.

Just build a fucking tunnel under Lake Michigan

I'm saving my tunnel resources for under the Rockies.

You know that you can build multiple tunnels in different places right? We won't run out of tunnel parts. Now we might run out of money, but you don't seem to think that money is a real resource.

When you align your car on the pad, a tube will come up out of the front, under your hood, and tap into your engine power, re-routing power from the engine to the floating module. This way, you hitting the gas would power the propellers underneath instead of your wheels. Cars might be required to keep their car in neutral or park though during the trip. Once you reach land again, the module will detach the tube and retract itself back into the pad.

Just build a fucking tunnel under Lake Michigan

You realize that tunnel would be at least twice as long and 4 times as deep as the Chunnel, right?

Still more realistic than whatever the hell he is proposing

[kphoger]

Worse than the Owl? Have you forgotten that the Owl has roads planned in North Korea?

At least those roads are physically possible under the laws of physics.

Have you both forgotten that real, actual roads already exist in North Korea?

[GaryV]

Musk can't get his cars to drive without crashing into a fire truck. I don't trust any schemes from that quarter.

[interstatefan990]

MMM is entering his FritzOwl era.

I think that he's worse than the Owl. Also, as crazy as this idea is, at least it won't start WW3 like his Canada idea.

Worse than the Owl? Have you forgotten that the Owl has roads planned in North Korea?

At least those roads are physically possible under the laws of physics. MMMs Lake Michigan plan on the other hand...

You could build hundreds of thousands of miles of road in North Korea before you build a 50 mile long tunnel, let alone a 200-300 mile one.

[Roadgeekteen]

Worse than the Owl? Have you forgotten that the Owl has roads planned in North Korea?

At least those roads are physically possible under the laws of physics.

Have you both forgotten that real, actual roads already exist in North Korea?

Yes I know that. That's why I was saying that MMM's plans are crazier.

[interstatefan990]

Musk can't get his cars to drive without crashing into a fire truck. I don't trust any schemes from that quarter.

More like he can't get his cars to be driven by actual humans.

[Flint1979]

They had a hard enough time building the Mackinac Bridge could you imagine a tunnel under Lake Michigan?

[Roadgeekteen]

They had a hard enough time building the Mackinac Bridge could you imagine a tunnel under Lake Michigan?

I KNOW it's unrealistic and will never happen. I'm just saying it's more realistic than MMM's plans.

[kalvado]

Musk can't get his cars to drive without crashing into a fire truck. I don't trust any schemes from that quarter.

Well, there are many others considering the idea:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submerged_floating_tunnel
Whatever it is - challenging, expensive, not straightforward - it is not crazy.

[Flint1979]

They had a hard enough time building the Mackinac Bridge could you imagine a tunnel under Lake Michigan?

I KNOW it's unrealistic and will never happen. I'm just saying it's more realistic than MMM's plans.

The length of the tunnel and the depth of the water would be two reasons why it would never happen.

[interstatefan990]

Has there been any thought to a bored tunnel through Canada for I-90.  That gets around that pesky customs issue.  Just bore a 200-300 mile long tunnel.

I actually figured that for the Lake Michigan section, instead of rocket powered ferries that carry the cars, we could have what's called RWMs (Road-Water-Modules) that you pull your car on top of it, it hooks perfectly into your cars engine and steering column, and, you can drive your own car across the water, using your own gas and steering wheel. The module would only be a few more square feet than your vehicle, but would still float under the weight of your vehicle. You would drive as you would normally on a road, but the module would connect your car controls to propellers/directional controls underneath the module. Now we would need to have stationary buoes on the water with I-90 shields, but this is far more reasonable than the stationary balloons/cargo plane idea. As for Canada, I am still unsure.

If you need to take a wizz while driving across Lake Michigan, just open the car door.

I have a separate idea for the peeing while driving problem. A tube could be fed from the exhaust pipe to under the steering wheel, that you quickly "hook up" to yourself, similar to how astronauts do it, and it would all simply drip out the exhaust pipe as your driving.

What's your idea for going number 2 then?

They had a hard enough time building the Mackinac Bridge could you imagine a tunnel under Lake Michigan?

I KNOW it's unrealistic and will never happen. I'm just saying it's more realistic than MMM's plans.

The length of the tunnel and the depth of the water would be two reasons why it would never happen.

Hello? Cost?

[Flint1979]

Has there been any thought to a bored tunnel through Canada for I-90.  That gets around that pesky customs issue.  Just bore a 200-300 mile long tunnel.

I actually figured that for the Lake Michigan section, instead of rocket powered ferries that carry the cars, we could have what's called RWMs (Road-Water-Modules) that you pull your car on top of it, it hooks perfectly into your cars engine and steering column, and, you can drive your own car across the water, using your own gas and steering wheel. The module would only be a few more square feet than your vehicle, but would still float under the weight of your vehicle. You would drive as you would normally on a road, but the module would connect your car controls to propellers/directional controls underneath the module. Now we would need to have stationary buoes on the water with I-90 shields, but this is far more reasonable than the stationary balloons/cargo plane idea. As for Canada, I am still unsure.

If you need to take a wizz while driving across Lake Michigan, just open the car door.

I have a separate idea for the peeing while driving problem. A tube could be fed from the exhaust pipe to under the steering wheel, that you quickly "hook up" to yourself, similar to how astronauts do it, and it would all simply drip out the exhaust pipe as your driving.

What's your idea for going number 2 then?

They had a hard enough time building the Mackinac Bridge could you imagine a tunnel under Lake Michigan?

I KNOW it's unrealistic and will never happen. I'm just saying it's more realistic than MMM's plans.

The length of the tunnel and the depth of the water would be two reasons why it would never happen.

Hello? Cost?

That would tie in with the length of the tunnel and water depth.

[MultiMillionMiler]

We could have a seat that has a sort of trapdoor under that area. However, this couldn't just be fed into the exhaust pipe the same way. I'm considering a set of compact lasers underneath the seat to vaporize as much of it as possible into gaseous form, which could then be fed into the exhaust pipe and out of the car. This tube would merge with tube 1 before the exhaust pipe. I have a feeling this would also help reduce tailgating.

[kkt]

The United States and Canada fought a war once.  Do you really want Toronto and Washington DC to be burned again?

[Roadgeekteen]

We could have a seat that has a sort of trapdoor under that area. However, this couldn't just be fed into the exhaust pipe the same way. I'm considering a set of compact lasers underneath the seat to vaporize as much of it as possible into gaseous form, which could then be fed into the exhaust pipe and out of the car. This tube would merge with tube 1 before the exhaust pipe. I have a feeling this would also help reduce tailgating.

Reduce tailgating? You can work with the Finland dude on that one. He wants to turn American sports into European sports, and there is no tailgating in European sports.

[kirbykart]

MMM, you never answered this question about your Road-Water Modules:

What are you going to do about 30-foot waves?

[kkt]

When you align your car on the pad, a tube will come up out of the front, under your hood, and tap into your engine power, re-routing power from the engine to the floating module. This way, you hitting the gas would power the propellers underneath instead of your wheels. Cars might be required to keep their car in neutral or park though during the trip. Once you reach land again, the module will detach the tube and retract itself back into the pad.

A way to solve this problem that has actually been used successfully is to load the motor vehicles onto trains, have the train carry them through a tunnel, and unload them on the other side.

A modern electrified railroad can go much much faster than motor vehicles on a freeway, even unlimited sections of the autobahn.

A tunnel for an electrified train has very modest ventilation requirements, whereas a road tunnel has large ventilation requirements and needs either a huge air shaft or periodic shafts to the surface.

Vehicles loaded on trains works on the Channel Tunnel, and one (at least) of the Swiss Alps tunnels.

[Roadgeekteen]

When you align your car on the pad, a tube will come up out of the front, under your hood, and tap into your engine power, re-routing power from the engine to the floating module. This way, you hitting the gas would power the propellers underneath instead of your wheels. Cars might be required to keep their car in neutral or park though during the trip. Once you reach land again, the module will detach the tube and retract itself back into the pad.

A way to solve this problem that has actually been used successfully is to load the motor vehicles onto trains, have the train carry them through a tunnel, and unload them on the other side.

A modern electrified railroad can go much much faster than motor vehicles on a freeway, even unlimited sections of the autobahn.

A tunnel for an electrified train has very modest ventilation requirements, whereas a road tunnel has large ventilation requirements and needs either a huge air shaft or periodic shafts to the surface.

Vehicles loaded on trains works on the Channel Tunnel, and one (at least) of the Swiss Alps tunnels.

Building a tunnel under Lake Michigan is still probably too expensive and not all that practical, but it's better than MMM's plans.

[kkt]

Sorry, there have been alot of new posts so it's hard to keep up. The craft would be designed like a wave-runner, with a foward shield to help stop the water from splashing into your car. Since when are there waves that large in lake MI anyway?

I don't know, why don't you ask the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

[Roadgeekteen]

That would be fine too. I only suggested the RWM idea since drivers would be using their own engine/gas to power them, the state wouldn't have to spend as much money to power them. It would be equivalent to you grabbing one of those rafts at a water park.

The state would have to spend a lot of money to provide guides at the two ends to help drivers understand what the fuck is going on.

[kkt]

When you align your car on the pad, a tube will come up out of the front, under your hood, and tap into your engine power, re-routing power from the engine to the floating module. This way, you hitting the gas would power the propellers underneath instead of your wheels. Cars might be required to keep their car in neutral or park though during the trip. Once you reach land again, the module will detach the tube and retract itself back into the pad.

A way to solve this problem that has actually been used successfully is to load the motor vehicles onto trains, have the train carry them through a tunnel, and unload them on the other side.

A modern electrified railroad can go much much faster than motor vehicles on a freeway, even unlimited sections of the autobahn.

A tunnel for an electrified train has very modest ventilation requirements, whereas a road tunnel has large ventilation requirements and needs either a huge air shaft or periodic shafts to the surface.

Vehicles loaded on trains works on the Channel Tunnel, and one (at least) of the Swiss Alps tunnels.

Building a tunnel under Lake Michigan is still probably too expensive and not all that practical, but it's better than MMM's plans.

How about building a dedicated high speed rail line from near Madison to Cleveland, going around the lake?  Should be faster than driving even if a tunnel was built.

[Roadgeekteen]

When you align your car on the pad, a tube will come up out of the front, under your hood, and tap into your engine power, re-routing power from the engine to the floating module. This way, you hitting the gas would power the propellers underneath instead of your wheels. Cars might be required to keep their car in neutral or park though during the trip. Once you reach land again, the module will detach the tube and retract itself back into the pad.

A way to solve this problem that has actually been used successfully is to load the motor vehicles onto trains, have the train carry them through a tunnel, and unload them on the other side.

A modern electrified railroad can go much much faster than motor vehicles on a freeway, even unlimited sections of the autobahn.

A tunnel for an electrified train has very modest ventilation requirements, whereas a road tunnel has large ventilation requirements and needs either a huge air shaft or periodic shafts to the surface.

Vehicles loaded on trains works on the Channel Tunnel, and one (at least) of the Swiss Alps tunnels.

Building a tunnel under Lake Michigan is still probably too expensive and not all that practical, but it's better than MMM's plans.

How about building a dedicated high speed rail line from near Madison to Cleveland, going around the lake?  Should be faster than driving even if a tunnel was built.

MMM, what are your thoughts on public transit?

[MultiMillionMiler]

It would be fully automated. You drive your car onto the thing, put it in park, and the thing will automatically adjust to fit your car, it insert the connecting tube automatically which will temporarily rewire your car, and then you just go, except you will be driving on the water instead of land. People who live within 500 miles of Lake Michigan will have questions about this added on to their written driving exam.

[hotdogPi]

Lake Mochigan

Is this featured in Candy Land?