Elon Musk's Boring Company shows off Vegas tunnel again, and it looks lame
It seems like this project is quickly turning into Tesla cars driving people underground, rather than some sort of futuristic transport system.
Looks polished, but the concept feels underwhelming at best.
When Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk first issued his idea for tunnels burrowing underneath traffic, it sounded really amazing. The Boring Company would create a grand high-speed system to bypass ground-level congestion. Over the years, it's been a slow process, but a small loop coming soon to the Las Vegas Convention Center offered hope the tiny project could spawn big things. Unfortunately, for now, it looks sort of disappointing.
Footage of what it looks like when a @Tesla is traveling through the @boringcompany’s Convention Center Loop. #vegas #boringcompany pic.twitter.com/ph1DJoTYBi
— Mick Akers (@mickakers) April 9, 2021
The Boring Company invited local media back to the Vegas loop to have a look at the progress this week, according to tweets from Mick Akers, a local reporter for the Review Journal. The tunneling remains the most impressive thing about the project, with both tunnels completely excavated this past May. However, the rest of the process seems to boil down to a ride in a Model 3. Though, the company did tell media that the system will "transport 4,400 people per hour in its 62-vehicle fleet." Eventually, the system could extend to the Las Vegas strip.
According to reaction from the local event, media were able to hitch a ride in Tesla's electric sedan, which crawled through the tunnels at 35 mph. It's a far cry from the promised 150 mph speeds, which is supposed to turn the typically 15-minute-long walk into a two-minute ride. The Model 3 sedans will use "tracking wheels" to keep the cars in the tunnel's specific lane, so no, the car isn't driving itself. In fact, there will be drivers, according to Akers' information. The wheels are more like deployable rollers. No word on the promised 12-seater van vehicle Musk said would carry more passengers, either. The Boring Company also did not share any new information on what the loading and unloading procedures will be like. Musk released a rendering of what a station may look like when everything's complete, which also featured a group of Model 3 EVs ready to shuffle people to another side of the convention center.
Hopefully, the Boring Company remains deep in a testing phase and the cooler, more-hyped elements will come soon. The company did not immediately return a request for comment. Last we heard, the tunnels were supposed to open for CES 2021, but organizers said the tunnels would not open if the coronavirus pandemic canceled the tech event. Well, it didn't exactly, but it became a virtual presentation. At any rate, an underground ride in a Model 3 isn't what the Boring Company promised.
