This is how Elon Musk's Boring Company tunnel system would work

[Jos]

Elon Musk has shared a concept video of how the underground tunnels that his new company, The Boring Company, wants to build. The vision involves a network of elevators resembling parking spots alongside the street, which would be used to lower vehicles into the tunnels. People wouldn’t actually drive through these tunnels but will instead be shuttled at high speeds on a platform, or “car skate”.

Although it seemingly started as a joke out of Musk’s frustration with traffic in Los Angeles, quipping that the slogan of the company would be “Boring, it’s what we do”, he actually has inters working on the project part time and is already starting to dig a hole underneath the parking lot of SpaceX’s headquarters.

During the unveiling today Musk said that there are still important challenges to be overcome for that vision to become a reality. For one thing, tunnel-boring is a very slow and expensive endeavor. Machines today dig the tunnels about half the time and spend the other half reinforcing those tunnels, so Musk wants to build one that can do both concurrently and faster.

“We have a pet snail named Gary,” he said. “Gary is capable of currently going 14 times faster than a tunnel boring machine. We want to beat Gary. He’s not a patient little fellow, that will be victory.”

The timeline or feasibility for this project isn’t clear but Musk is indeed working on it.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/69136-how-elon-musk-boring-company-tunnel-system-would.html

 

[Kotters]

Is this a spongebob reference

 

[rvnwlfdroid]

Now people can stare at their phone, walk into the street and fall 100+ft to their death rather then getting hit by a car.

 

[Uncle Al]

It might look good on paper, but if you consider the massive expense not only of building it, but of moving ALL the infrastructure currently in place, it simply isn't feasible. The cost per mile in an urban area for an interstate is over $11 Million dollars; just imagine the up charge for moving all those gas lines, water lines, buried electrical cables, sewers, etc. and if there is already a subway .... well, the skies the limit! In fact, this is one of the few things that make those loony flying autonomous cars practical ..... sort of ..... if you squint .....

 

[Evernessince]

I can understand congestion problems but building tunnels that can fit many sizes of vehicles? Seems expensive.

 

[3volv3d]

I see so when the previous article about him making a tunnel to work. mention he was starting that Wednesday, he was mocking Mr Trumps Wednesday Wall start ? Cause I just thought he had enough money to pay someone to allow his plans to go thru... this hasn't happened. I am a gullible tit

 

[ET3D]

Now people can stare at their phone, walk into the street and fall 100+ft to their death rather then getting hit by a car.

Darwinism at its best.

I'm assuming a real solution would have that area fenced in some way, or, more likely, the transition from driving to tunnels won't happen in normal lanes.

IMO the more interesting part of this isn't the tunnels, but the 'car skates'. These could be introduced separately, and should provide a real boon to transportation. If I could get on a highway and skate along at 200 km/h with a small urban car without spending fuel, or caring about the traffic (just telling the highway where I want to get off) then I certainly won't mind paying for that.

 

[Kraemepoo]

This idea has less planning in it than the keyboard I'm typing on. I know this because if any real thought was put into it, they'd laugh at the impracticality of idea and move onto more realistic ideas like warp travel and transporters by 2020.

 

[Kotters]

This idea has less planning in it than the keyboard I'm typing on. I know this because if any real thought was put into it, they'd laugh at the impracticality of idea and move onto more realistic ideas like warp travel and transporters by 2020.

Yeah, this ****'s on par with "developing private reusable rockets" and "producing enough Li-on batteries to double the world production"

 

[mbrowne5061]

This idea has less planning in it than the keyboard I'm typing on. I know this because if any real thought was put into it, they'd laugh at the impracticality of idea and move onto more realistic ideas like warp travel and transporters by 2020.

Yeah, this ****'s on par with "developing private reusable rockets" and "producing enough Li-on batteries to double the world production"

It really isn't. The first two are changes in technology, the other is massive infrastructure project. Just ask Boston about the one tunnel system they tried to build beneath their city - and that was when half the tunnels were already there to begin with.

 

[Kotters]

Gigafactories are just changes in technology, got it.

 

[That Dude There]

There is no way this is a evil government program cover up...