We had a sneaking suspicion that Elon Musk’s Hyperloop idea would somehow make its way into plans for The Boring Company. Earlier this week, Musk tweeted out a link to an FAQ page for his new tunnel venture, and it answers a whole host of questions about the company’s underground transportation system and its relationship to Hyperloop.
Last month, The Boring Company shared a video simulation of an underground autonomous electric sled that transports cars at 125 mph. Now, the company is revealing that the skate can carry goods, cars, or people, and the addition of a vacuum shell transforms it into a Hyperloop Pod that can travel at speeds exceeding 600 miles per hour.
The underground sled concept seemed like a distant dream when it was revealed last month, but now the company has outlined a plan to make the transportation solution viable. Since tunnels are currently very expensive to create, costing as much as $1 billion per mile, the bottom dollar must be reduced by a factor of more than 10. Decreasing the diameter of the tunnels, increasing the speed of the tunnel-making machines, and investing in tunneling R&D could help achieve this goal. The company has already been hard at work creating its first tunnel, which Musk says will run from LAX to Culver City, Santa Monica, Westwood, and Sherman Oaks in California.
The Boring Company claims that a strong network of underground tunnels can fix traffic congestion in any city, no matter how large the problem grows. Tunnels can be added in layers underground to accommodate more vehicles.
Although the idea of moving along an underground sled at 125 mph may make you nervous, The Boring Company assures that it can be a safe technology. Properly designed tunnels provide good protection from earthquakes and bad weather, and unlike flying cars, they won’t “fall on your head.” Good to know…
Visit the company’s FAQ page to learn more about the potential benefits of underground transportation.
What do you think of The Boring Company’s subterranean transportation ideas? Tell us in the comments below.
Source: The Boring Company, Elon Musk via Twitter
The post Elon Musk Answers Your Boring Tunnel Questions appeared first on Motor Trend.
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