Elon Musk says The Boring Company is shifting its plan a bit to prioritize pedestrians and cyclists over cars.
A video the company previously published showed cars being transported on sled-like platforms. Cars would be lowered into the tunnel by street-level elevators and then transported underground at speeds up to 150 mph.
The company also teased a pod that would carry passengers, which seems to be The Boring Company’s current focus. “Will still transport cars, but only after all personalized mass transit needs are met,” Musk said in a tweet. “It’s a matter of courtesy & fairness. If someone can’t afford a car, they should go first.”
Musk said the company’s “urban loop system” would have thousands of small stations the size of a single parking space that take riders close to their destination and blend seamlessly into a city, rather than a small number of big stations like a subway.
Musk shared a video to Twitter to offer an idea of how the concept would work.
Better video coming soon, but it would look a bit like this: pic.twitter.com/C0iJPi8b4U
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 9, 2018
And, he accepted comparisons to a bus system.
I guess you could say it’s a 150 mph, underground, autonomous, electric bus that automatically switches between tunnels and lifts. So, yes, a bus.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 9, 2018
The Boring Company is currently digging a tunnel under Los Angeles, and recently received approval to dig in Washington, DC.