Some of Musk's millions of Twitter followers seemed divided about the proposed test goals. Can't wait to try hyperloop travel, enthused Twitter user DeviliciousMe. However, TetriniMusic tweeted some skepticism about the potential results. Musk first introduced his vision for a tube-based hyperloop transportation system in a 2013 white paper, outlining the possibility of a gridlock-busting idea that could make current modes of transit passe. In the years since, Musk has gained several potential hyperloop competitors, including British tycoon and airline magnate Richard Branson. In February, the Branson-backed Virgin Hyperloop One announced plans to build a hyperloop tunnel in India that would lop roughly three hours off the travel time between the city of Pune and a planned airport in Mumbai. Last week, a Canadian startup called TransPod said it wants to raise $50 million for its own hyperloop technology aimed at ferrying passengers at speeds of more than 1,000 kilometers or roughly 622 miles an hour, Bloomberg News reported. Musk hasn't exactly been standing still. In October, the American Public Transportation Association tweeted that Musk was poised to a start a hyperloop project in Maryland. The tweet cited a Baltimore Sun report that said state officials had issued a conditional utility permit to let Musk’s tunneling firm, The Boring Company, dig a 10.3-mile tunnel beneath the Maryland-owned portion of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. Musk tweeted at the time that full announcement was likely months away. Separately, Musk used a series of tweets in March to refine his futuristic transportation vision. The tweets included an animation that showed a bus-like vehicle suddenly lowering itself deep underground where it joined a flowing artery filled with similar people-filled pods. Musk described the new auto-less mission as a departure from his original concept for The Boring Company, which focuses on drilling tunnels beneath major urban centers. Initially, he planned to fill the company's tunnels with moving platforms that carried passengers' personal cars. Musk has other problems and challenges to address while he works on the hyperloop venture.