Comment Re:Why use a cable? (Score 1) 248
Agree, but a hybrid approach is likely the most efficient. Get 50% of the power/braking from the rope and 50% from a cab-mounted motor. Batteries aren't needed; just regenerate into the rails.
The other interesting challenge is water. Every 200m you need a pressure break because the welds in the pipe reach pressure limits. An extremely tall building needs to deal with these issues cost effectively, and efficiently-- think water treatment every 40 stories to recover grey water, treat potable water, recover condensate, etc.
Hell, from an IT perspective you reach the limits of multimode fiber risers pretty quickly.