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Elon Musk shows how his tunnels will help you avoid traffic

Commentary: A video posted on Musk's new Boring Company website shows how exciting it will be to disappear underground.

Chris Matyszczyk
2 min read

Technically Incorrect offers a slightly twisted take on the tech that's taken over our lives.


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And down you go.

Boring Company/YouTube screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET

Beam me down, Elon.

This appears to be the principle behind Elon Musk's new magical tunnels.

Should you not have heard of this bottomlessly engaging idea, Tesla's CEO got fed up with traffic in LA and decided he would bore holes beneath the Earth's surface to allow traffic to run smoothly.

Some thought this must be a joke. But he's progressively revealed the Boring Company's machines and its logo.

On Friday, he went one step further -- or, if you prefer, lower. The Boring Company now has a website, which proudly displays a movie of how your Tesla will disappear beneath the road.

You'll see, perhaps, four cars ahead of you and think, "Gosh, I can't tolerate this." Fortunately, there will be a pad in the road. You position your car on it. Then you disappear into an underworld where everything runs perfectly and no one is ever frustrated.

Your car is carried along on a little sled and very swiftly too -- at up to 130 mph, according to the video -- as there are many layers of sleds and roadways. And, of course, it's controlled by a splendid computer system. So nothing could possibly go wrong.

Musk unveiled this video at a TED talk on Friday. It's already the No. 2 trending video on YouTube.

It is, though, still fanciful. The number of construction issues and permissions needed is surely colossal. And even though the cars seem to move swiftly underground, it does take quite a while to get them down there and back up again.

Moreover, those of troubled mind might think that California isn't the best place to launch this idea. Might it be a little difficult to be in these tunnels during an earthquake?

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