For years, Elon Musk has been rethinking the use of tunnels. Now, he’s finally opened the Boring Loop in Las Vegas, which his Boring Company has been working on for years! And it’s just the beginning of this massive project…
Elon Musk Builds A New Reality
Back in 2016, Elon Musk decided he had enough of the street traffic on the hot streets of Las Vegas. So, through his Boring Company, Musk launched a project to drill massive subterranean tunnels, 40 feet below the Earth’s surface. The concept is surprisingly simple: avoid the gridlock of Las Vegas street by building tunnels underground. More than that, Musk decided to simplify the process even more by putting Teslas in the one-way Loop beneath the Las Vegas Convention Center, offering on-demand rides.
Currently, the “loop” stretches over 1.7 miles and has three passenger stations, two above ground, one below. Meanwhile, 62 Tesla care work the Las Vegas Loop, each giving a two-minute ride that would take half an hour on foot! However, even though the ride might be quicker than heading out on foot, the Boring Loop is not everything Musk said it would be – not yet, at least. Instead of driverless cars going 150 MPH on the Loop, the Tesla taxis currently do have a driver and only operate at 35 MPH. However, Musk said those features are coming. Moreover, early reviews say the ride still lives up to the expectations!
Boring Loop Finally Opens
Those who have taken a ride on the Las Vegas Boring Loop say, even without all the futuristic features, it’s still quite enjoyable! “You can see some variants of color, so it’s kind of felt like you were in a roller coaster. You feel like you’re going a lot faster than you really are. We even said like, ‘Oh, we’re speeding,’ and he was like, ‘We’re going 30 miles per hour,'” said Amy West, who rode the Loop during its opening weekend. “Avoid a lot of traffic! Which is the whole point of this. Especially in very congested Vegas out here. Very smooth, very quiet. Just a nice little quiet ride,” said Gabe Reed, another first weekend rider.
Currently, the Boring Loop can help 4,400 customers an hour – but this is just the beginning! As of this writing, there are only stops at the Las Vegas Airport and Convention center. However, Lori Nelson-Kraft of the Las Vegas Visitors Authority said that the Loop will eventually also include stops in Downtown Vegas, on the strip, and out to the city’s newly built stadiums.
While it might be a few more years until Elon Musk fulfills his dream of driverless cars going nearly 200 MPH, he’s certainly well on his way there! Even now, there’s little doubt a transport revolution is occurring in Las Vegas!
Sources: CNET, Engineering360, Teslarati.