Elon Musk's first tunnel is finished. Here's what it's like to ride in it

[poweRob]

Elon staying busy... (Video at link)

Elon Musk's first tunnel is finished. Here's what it's like to ride in it

Our Tesla Model X pulled into a small parking lot behind an old kitchen cabinet store and came to a stop on a metal lift. Moments later, Elon Musk's vision for how to beat traffic congestion began to take shape.

The lift slowly lowered our car into O'Leary Station, a circular hole Musk's Boring Company had dug in the parking lot in Hawthorne, California. A handful of company employees were gathered around the edge, watching our descent.​

 

[Jetboogieman]

Dumbest thing ever.

Elon is losing his mind.

 

[DaveFagan]

I'm a great admirer of all things Elon Musk. I hope he decides to run for President sometime.
/

 

[Fledermaus]

Elon staying busy... (Video at link)

Elon Musk's first tunnel is finished. Here's what it's like to ride in it

Our Tesla Model X pulled into a small parking lot behind an old kitchen cabinet store and came to a stop on a metal lift. Moments later, Elon Musk's vision for how to beat traffic congestion began to take shape.

The lift slowly lowered our car into O'Leary Station, a circular hole Musk's Boring Company had dug in the parking lot in Hawthorne, California. A handful of company employees were gathered around the edge, watching our descent.​

That should be Timothy Leary station...

 

[poweRob]

Dumbest thing ever.

Elon is losing his mind.

Why's that? He's got not just this tunnel in LA but also building similar projects in Chicago and DC right now according to the article.

 

[RabidAlpaca]

Dumbest thing ever.

Elon is losing his mind.

Yes, in the woods in Canada where you live it would be crazy, in cities crippled by traffic like LA it would be fantastic and would revolutionize city living.

He just proved it's technologically and financially possible. If you still doubt his ability to change the way we do things, you're the bat **** crazy one. If you have real critiques let's hear it.

 

[poweRob]

I'm a great admirer of all things Elon Musk. I hope he decides to run for President sometime.
/

Why? I don't think these skills translate as good president at all. He's a doer not a debater.

 

[poweRob]

That should be Timothy Leary station...

Not following the reference... Elon smokes pot but I don't know about doing acid.


*edit... is it the "drop out" bit where the cars go down an elevator?

 

[beefheart]

Yes, in the woods in Canada where you live it would be crazy, in cities crippled by traffic like LA it would be fantastic and would revolutionize city living.

He just proved it's technologically and financially possible. If you still doubt his ability to change the way we do things, you're the bat **** crazy one. If you have real critiques let's hear it.

Yeah, ever try to drive 5 miles in LA at rush hour? Its painful...

 

[Fledermaus]

Not following the reference... Elon smokes pot but I don't know about doing acid.


*edit... is it the "drop out" bit where the cars go down an elevator?

It originally sounded like something an acid head would think of...

I hadn't thought of the "drop out" idea. Nice.

 

[Felis Leo]

Yeah, ever try to drive 5 miles in LA at rush hour? Its painful...

I'm pretty sure it's why they invented podcasts, audio-books and anti-anxiety medications. :mrgreen:

 

[beefheart]

I'm pretty sure it's why they invented podcasts, audio-books and anti-anxiety medications. :mrgreen:

I love LA, but damn.....pack a pee bag if you need to get anywhere.

 

[JasperL]

Yes, in the woods in Canada where you live it would be crazy, in cities crippled by traffic like LA it would be fantastic and would revolutionize city living.

He just proved it's technologically and financially possible. If you still doubt his ability to change the way we do things, you're the bat **** crazy one. If you have real critiques let's hear it.

What's the difference between this revolutionary technology and a subway, that has existed in major cities for a century or more?

And maybe I'm not thinking about this correctly, but it's a tunnel. How many cars per hour can travel in this tunnel, and how is that different or better than another lane on the interstate or.... a subway line? Every car running the route has to get to the tunnel entrance, wait in line to enter, then travel but only along the tunnel's path, then somehow very quickly exit this tunnel back onto the street, and it carries most often 1 person. I cannot see the advantage....

 

[RabidAlpaca]

What's the difference between this revolutionary technology and a subway, that has existed in major cities for a century or more?

And maybe I'm not thinking about this correctly, but it's a tunnel. How many cars per hour can travel in this tunnel, and how is that different or better than another lane on the interstate versus a subway line? Every car running the route has to get to the tunnel entrance, wait in line to enter, then travel but only along the tunnel's path, then somehow very quickly exit this tunnel back onto the street, and it carries most often 1 person. I cannot see the advantage....

There's plenty of informational material available for you including explanatory videos that answer the questions you asked. If you really are under the impression the cars are driving inside the tunnel you have spent literally zero time investigating it for yourself.

 

[JasperL]

There's plenty of informational material available for you including explanatory videos that answer the questions you asked. If you really are under the impression the cars are driving inside the tunnel you have spent literally zero time investigating it for yourself.

Here's a video promoted by the Boring Company that shows....a car driving inside a tunnel.

https://twitter.com/boringcompany/s...-elon-musks-boring-company-underground-tunnel

Don't blame me for paying attention to Musk's own PR.

I've actually read several articles about these new tunnels and don't understand the concept. The Chicago system is being promoted as a system of transporting small "pods" that hold up to 16 people, very quickly, from O'Hare to downtown somewhere. OK, subways do that in many cities. It would be nice to have a direct line from the airport to downtown when I visit, but my questions still remain - how is Musk's concept different than the traditional subway?

I wish him good luck, and if he's found a cheaper way (by a factor of 10) to build tunnels, that's awesome, but he's not demonstrated that on any kind of scale.

 

[Lovebug]

Not a bad idea, but perhaps not a good idea for those who are claustrophobic. Can one dial in colors? The ones in the video are a bit wild for my taste. Remind me of one of the airports I've been to.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFWZq_o78KM

 

[PoS]

I can only imagine being in one of those tunnels when an earthquake hits (and there's a lot of quakes in LA, small and big).

 

[RabidAlpaca]

Here's a video promoted by the Boring Company that shows....a car driving inside a tunnel.

https://twitter.com/boringcompany/s...-elon-musks-boring-company-underground-tunnel

Don't blame me for paying attention to Musk's own PR.

I've actually read several articles about these new tunnels and don't understand the concept. The Chicago system is being promoted as a system of transporting small "pods" that hold up to 16 people, very quickly, from O'Hare to downtown somewhere. OK, subways do that in many cities. It would be nice to have a direct line from the airport to downtown when I visit, but my questions still remain - how is Musk's concept different than the traditional subway?

I wish him good luck, and if he's found a cheaper way (by a factor of 10) to build tunnels, that's awesome, but he's not demonstrated that on any kind of scale.

The cars are not driving they're on a transport vehicle. You have not spent any time looking into this before you started ****ting on it.

And seriously? He hasn't demonstrated it on scale? No ****, this is a DEMO to show the proof of concept, the scale comes later.

When's the last time you've contributed anything at all to mankind's technological advancement?

 

[JasperL]

The cars are not driving they're on a transport vehicle. You have not spent any time looking into this before you started ****ting on it.

From the OP.

Our Model X inched forward. It was fitted out with special protruding wheels that held the SUV in place between the tunnel's walls. Previous iterations of the tunnel had placed the SUV on an electric skate, which propelled it. Now the vehicles in Musk's tunnels power themselves. The Boring Company said it switched because this was a simpler solution.

Other PR show these tunnels connecting through other tunnels and elevators directly into someone's garage. So he's clearly promoting the idea of self powered cars, traveling along these tunnels.

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1040138879263637504

And seriously? He hasn't demonstrated it on scale? No ****, this is a DEMO to show the proof of concept, the scale comes later.

When's the last time you've contributed anything at all to mankind's technological advancement?

OK, so the demo and PR from the company's Twitter feed, shows cars, driving themselves, in a tunnel. You originally said my understanding was false, but I'm just reading his own PR and looking at his own proof of concept. I can see this isn't going to be productive, so unless you have something more than dismissive insults, I'll leave it here except to note that I'm skeptical but was asking for evidence, or for someone to explain what I'm missing. That seems....prudent of grand claims to me.

 

[Spartacus FPV]

In Elon I trust, woe unto those who would inhibit any of his innovations.

 

[poweRob]

What's the difference between this revolutionary technology and a subway, that has existed in major cities for a century or more?

And maybe I'm not thinking about this correctly, but it's a tunnel. How many cars per hour can travel in this tunnel, and how is that different or better than another lane on the interstate or.... a subway line? Every car running the route has to get to the tunnel entrance, wait in line to enter, then travel but only along the tunnel's path, then somehow very quickly exit this tunnel back onto the street, and it carries most often 1 person. I cannot see the advantage....

You stay in your car. Get out of the tunnel and drive to destination not near the end of the line. Also much cheaper for construction and maintenance and more convenient for the more spread out cities.

 

[JasperL]

You stay in your car. Get out of the tunnel and drive to destination not near the end of the line. Also much cheaper for construction and maintenance and more convenient for more spread out cities.

OK, that sounds pretty cool, but that still doesn't answer my question. Somehow that car has to get on the single lane track, or one of many single lane tracks, then exit, but that also describes an interstate system which in LA are clogged with 6 lanes or more each direction. Don't you just move the line from the tunnel to the entrances and exits? Wouldn't a subway have more capacity than that?

If he's found a cheaper way to dig tunnels suitable for transportation, and the costs he's claiming are correct, that's certainly a big f'ing deal as Biden would say but I'm still not getting the advantages of Musk's plans versus the century old concept of a subway system, built in tunnels, under cities...

 

[poweRob]

OK, that sounds pretty cool, but that still doesn't answer my question. Somehow that car has to get on the single lane track, or one of many single lane tracks, then exit, but that also describes an interstate system which in LA are clogged with 6 lanes or more each direction. Don't you just move the line from the tunnel to the entrances and exits? Wouldn't a subway have more capacity than that?

If he's found a cheaper way to dig tunnels suitable for transportation, and the costs he's claiming are correct, that's certainly a big f'ing deal as Biden would say but I'm still not getting the advantages of Musk's plans versus the century old concept of a subway system, built in tunnels, under cities...

I think it's a cheaper alternative for established cities like LA. Subwaying that city would be far too much of an expense I think comparatively. The mechanics of this system are minor by comparison it seems. I also wonder about the lines at the elevator. Also the security of not having an open hole in the ground for someone to drive into on top of you as you lower into it. Also... how will they control what cars go down into it because I'm sure the wheel base differences will be an issue.

 

[Lord Tammerlain]

They would have to be autonomous vehicles that are interconnected with each other as part of a mass system in which the cars are probably inches from each other. With routes programmed into the vehicle guidance. With spurs on the main tunnels to allow vehicles to enter and exit the system without stopping vehicles on the main tunnel tracks. In other words no human driving in the system. Having the vehicles packed together would be the only way to use the tunnels efficiently enough to cover the cost of building the system. Being a controlled system, (no dogs, people walking, or cyclists) the autonomous driving systems will have much easier time to work correctly

 

[JasperL]

They would have to be autonomous vehicles that are interconnected with each other as part of a mass system in which the cars are probably inches from each other. With routes programmed into the vehicle guidance. With spurs on the main tunnels to allow vehicles to enter and exit the system without stopping vehicles on the main tunnel tracks. In other words no human driving in the system. Having the vehicles packed together would be the only way to use the tunnels efficiently enough to cover the cost of building the system. Being a controlled system, (no dogs, people walking, or cyclists) the autonomous driving systems will have much easier time to work correctly

Thanks.

Sounds far fetched and decades out but I try hard to keep my skepticism in check. I was thinking recently of our mobile phones, and if someone predicted when the first mobile phone call was made what we all view as ordinary today, that would have also been CRAAAZZZYYY!!! talk.

Best of luck to Musk. It's certainly true we need big and wild thinkers like him in the world, the more the better.