SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk late last year announced his intent to build a network of underground tunnels to help drivers avoid congestion, and now we finally have an idea of how the system will work, if the plan actually comes to fruition.
The Boring Company, Musk's latest project, on Friday posted a video offering a first look at the underground transportation system it's hoping to develop. As you can see below, drivers would pull their car onto a metal platform on the side of the road, and the vehicle would then be lowered into the underground tunnel system.
Based on the video, it looks like drivers would then be able to sit back and take a break. Their car would remain on the metal platform (reportedly called a "skate") and be transported through the tunnel at around 124mph.
Musk first announced his boring ambitions on Twitter in December.
"Traffic is driving me nuts. Am going to build a tunnel boring machine and just start digging..." he wrote, following that up with another tweet saying, "I am actually going to do this."
Turns out, he was serious. In January, Musk said he's making "progress on the tunnel front," and planned to start digging "in a month or so."
Related
- Elon Musk's Neuralink Will Connect Our Brains to ComputersElon Musk's Neuralink Will Connect Our Brains to Computers
During a TED Talk on Friday, Musk said the skate would transport cars through the tunnel at up to 130mph, according to Business Insider. At that rate, you'd be able to get from Westwood to Los Angeles in five minutes, he reportedly said.
There's at least one major problem holding back this plan at the moment: tunnel boring is a ridiculously slow process. Musk and The Boring Company are aiming to build a better boring machine — one that can dig a tunnel and reinforce its walls at the same time — to speed up the process.
"We have a pet snail called Gary. ... So Gary is capable of currently going 14 times faster than a tunnel boring machine," Musk said, according to Business Insider. "We want to beat Gary."
Anita Sarkeesian reflects on her successes, fears and hopes for the future.
The film follows brave park rangers who risk their lives to stop poachers.
The billionaire has an affinity for what some might classify as childish things, and guess what? That's great.
Relax Video Shows Elon Musk's 'Boring' Tunnel Vision stories
Grand Theft Auto V is a very rich and realistic simulation from which to learn to drive.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the semi truck will be unveiled in September, while the pickup will be ready in 18 to 24 months.
The feature, available first on the Cadillac CT6, will allow drivers to take their hands off the wheel and let the car steer itself on the highway.
The billionaire has an affinity for what some might classify as childish things, and guess what? That's great.
Other improvements includes a beta feature that will automatically park your Tesla without you in it.
Not content with electric cars, launching rockets, and trying to travel to Mars, Elon Musk also wants to add AI to our brains.
The crash in Tempe, Ariz., didn't cause any injuries, but it added more woes to Uber's already controversial self-driving experiment.
With its new auto-licensing program, Microsoft is embarking on a campaign to get its software into connected cars of the future.
Uber allegedly stole technology from Google's self-driving car project, now called Waymo.
Uber is now reviewing the technology, which deceives authorities in cities where the ride-hailing service is banned.
The ride-hailing app previously argued that it didn't need the $150 permit since humans were present in its autonomous Volvo XC90 SUVs at all times.
Start getting the creative juices flowing, amateur advertising gurus.
Elon Musk's company is making space tourism happen.
The rollout in Tempe comes after Uber pulled its self-driving fleet off the streets of San Francisco.
The SpaceX CEO plans to start digging 'in a month or so.'
The director of the new comedy talks about the unique situations that arise when one of your actors is a genius billionaire.
Let's be honest, that's a surprise to no one.
The Circle isn't just a bad movie, it also doesn't understand what it's criticizing.
Hacker 'TheDarkOverlord' leaked the premiere episode of OITNB's upcoming season and is threatening to post more.
This is probably the worst way to buy the 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' soundtrack.
There's a war for the soul of the password... and to control your identity.
The venerable authority on language thinks we’re all too easily influenced.
Ankur Jain, the founder of the Kairos Society, reflects on how opportunity has evolved and what entrepreneurs must understand now.
Pure Barre's Carrie Dorr says the key to organizing your time is to understand when you are most creative or analytical and then schedule your tasks that way
Sony’s and Nintendo’s special edition consoles couldn’t be more different.
Microsoft's Phil Spencer realizes that a subscription model won't work for every type of game, though.
The M-series sets are an even better bargain than before.
