Boring Company to Showcase First Tunnel in December, Offer Free Rides to Public

The Boring Company plans to hold an event Dec. 10 to showcase its first underground tunnel.

Elon Musk tweeted that free rides will be offered in the Hawthorne, Calif. tunnel, which stretches for two miles beyond the SpaceX parking lot. Musk said passengers could hit speeds as fast as 155 mph. Musk said in May that the tunnel under Los Angeles was “almost done” and pending regulatory approval would be offering free rides in “a few months.”

Musk’s grand plan is to build a network of connected tunnels for high-speed transportation to “solve the problem of soul-destroying traffic.” Tunnels would be accessible via station elevators built into city streets.

Musk said in may that The Boring Company will partner with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority to build an underground transportation system called “Loop.” The system would consist of different levels and lanes and carry up to 16 passengers in pods that would travel at speeds up to 150 mph. Musk said passengers could go from downtown L.A. to Los Angeles International Airport in eight minutes. The tunnels are also expected to support Hyperloop technology, which would allow the pods to travel at speeds up to 700 mph.

In addition to the tunnel in California, the company is also working on an East Coast route and a tunnel to connect Chicago’s downtown with O’Hare Airport.

 

[Mr X]

So who has gotten an invite to this


And how do you get one


Or could you take your chances and just show up

 

[MorrisonHiker]

So who has gotten an invite to this


And how do you get one


Or could you take your chances and just show up

Invite only.

BTW, the date is now 12/18, not 12/10, unless this is a different event.

 

[thegruf]

looking at the boring brick brick cladding going up on the tower, you have to hope the tunnel construction is to a higher standard
(pic from teslarati)

 

[Mr X]

Invite only.

BTW, the date is now 12/18, not 12/10, unless this is a different event.

How is one chosen to receive an invite

 

[Seattle Tom]

I watched the video presentation and think this is really a wasted opportunity for a variety of reasons.

1) They said they would stock the tunnels with vehicles for pedestrians and bicyclists that run in the loop. No Tesla can maintain the 150 mph speed for any consistent length of time, much less 12-18 hours per day. They’d be cycling Teslas out every hour. The old plan of having “pods” that could be run via charging lines in the track, not on a motor in the pod/vehicle, was much more sensible and scalable.

2) As a private driver, the electric skate they’ve discarded in favor of “tracking wheels” was pure genius. Super safe, easily controlled based on vision and tracking software, and avoided me draining my battery by driving at 150 mph! What if I enter the tunnel with a 4% SOC? Do I back up the whole network when my X dies?

3) JFC, the tire wear at this speed will be insane. If I use the loop once a week, I’d be lucky to have tires that last 8,000 miles.

4) Who is going to install these “autonomous” tracking wheels on their S or X? Can’t wait for those to get stuck one day on street level. It just distributes a tracking wheel problem from a small, centrally-located fleet of pods or skates to thousands of vehicles all over the country. That makes zero sense.

I’m sorry, I love Elon and I love my X, but these are some boneheaded decisions.

 

[Ludalicious]

Speed doesn't wear tires out... turning does... You really have absolutely no idea what your talking about. Sorry

Tires can last a tremendous amount of time when not turning corners. The thought process is very impressive that will enable other manufacturers to use the tunnels if need be. The guide wheels look like an easy installation. If you have a vehicle out of the elements you really eliminate allot of needed energy, I.E. wind, Air conditioning, stop and go traffic. Vehicles would be much more efficient when you take away the outdoor elements. Very impressive and looks like they have a massive list of city's looking to sign up.