Nick Statt wrote:

 

http://asset3.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim2/2013/08/12/hyperloop_2.png

 

When pressed for a definitive timeline, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said Monday that the proposed initial Hyperloop system -- one that would take passengers between San Francisco and Los Angeles in 30 minutes -- can likely come to fruition in 7 to 10 years.

But we have a long way to go. The first step is a demonstration prototype, and Musk is adamant in expressing that he does not want to make the journey to 800 mph maglev travel on his own. "If someone else goes and does a demo, that would be really awesome and I hope someone does," Musk said.

If no one steps up, Musk said that he would make a demo, but that it would probably take upwards of three or four years given his commitments to SpaceX and Tesla. If he focused solely on the Hyperloop, it could take him only one to two years, he added.

Musk also fleshed out more information on the system's cost, quoting the total of the proposed San Francisco to Los Angeles system at roughly $6 billion, or 10 times less than the proposed California High-Speed Rail Project.