> With transportation, the vehicle must start and stop at a speed of zero. The energy required to accelerate the vehicle to its top speed and then decelerate it to back to zero increases quadratically as the top speed increases.
Don't be so sure. The vehicle could move continuously at cruising speed while individual people are brought to/from it and then "dock".
Don't be so sure. The vehicle could move continuously at cruising speed while individual people are brought to/from it and then "dock".