According to our current understanding of physics, it is not possible to create an elevator or any object that travels faster than the speed of light. This limitation arises from Einstein's theory of special relativity, which sets a maximum speed limit of c (the speed of light) for anything with mass.
If we were to imagine a hypothetical scenario where an elevator could travel faster than light, it would lead to several significant issues and violations of known physical laws:
Relativity of Simultaneity: Special relativity tells us that different observers can have different perceptions of the sequence of events. If an elevator were to move faster than light, it could potentially cause violations of causality, where the order of cause and effect could be reversed depending on the observer's frame of reference.
Mass Increase: As an object with mass accelerates, its relativistic mass increases. As it approaches the speed of light, the mass would become infinitely large, requiring an infinite amount of energy to continue accelerating. This is not achievable in practice.
Energy Requirements: Reaching or surpassing the speed of light would require an infinite amount of energy, as the energy required to accelerate an object increases dramatically as it approaches the speed of light. Our current understanding of physics does not provide any feasible means to generate or harness such immense amounts of energy.
Time Dilation: Special relativity also predicts that time slows down for objects traveling close to the speed of light relative to a stationary observer. If an elevator were to travel faster than light, it would have to experience time running backward, which is inconsistent with our everyday experience and the known laws of physics.
These limitations indicate that traveling faster than light is currently considered impossible based on our current scientific understanding.