Can Elon Musk’s Tunnels Put an End to Commuting Chaos?

Extreme traffic congestion on the way to work
Elon Musk is furious
Building a tunnel under the city?

Most people who commute to work by car have no choice but to experience traffic jams. Traffic congestion is especially severe in some overpopulated metropolitan areas. For this reason, many drivers are considering using public transportation instead of their vehicles. Is there a solution?

Elon Musk shared similar concerns about commuting. As the CEO of Tesla and the aerospace company SpaceX, he faced the challenges of traveling to work in downtown Los Angeles, a city notorious for its heavy traffic.

To Solve Traffic Congestion, He Plans to Build a Tunnel Under the City

Angry and stuck in a traffic jam, Elon Musk devised an idea to build a tunnel network under the city. To this end, he founded The Boring Company in 2016. The company is a tunnel construction and underground transportation system development company and has begun a project to turn Elon Musk’s ideas into reality.

In 2018, two years after its establishment, a 1.7 km (1.05 miles) test tunnel passing under Los Angeles was built. The tunnel entrance station was designated as the SpaceX parking lot. However, as it is in the early stages of development, it showed limitations, such as operating at a speed of 64 km (40 miles) at the time of demonstration. Nevertheless, covering the tunnel took only 3 minutes, so it was an achievement.

Via maglev train method
Aim for 240 km/h (150 mph)

The ultimate goal of development is to transport vehicles, cargo, and people at a speed of 240 km/h (150 mph) through the hyperloop method, in which a maglev train runs inside a vacuum tube. In July 2023, a 2.7 km (1.7 miles) test tunnel under the Las Vegas Convention Center was completed for $48.6 million.

After completion, formal operation began. It moves inside the tunnel at a speed of approximately 56 km/h (35 mph), and a distance that would otherwise take 25 minutes on foot can be covered in just 2 minutes. However, only Tesla vehicles with self-driving functions can travel and operate through the Tesla Model 3. In the future, Tesla plans to increase the number of stops to 69 to increase practicality. If realized, it will emerge as an innovative means of future transportation, but there is still a long way to go.

Slow construction and environmental pollution, etc.
There are still many problems to overcome

The core technology, hyperloop, has not yet been developed and applied, and a lot of noise was generated during the tunnel construction. Ground subsidence and environmental pollution caused by constructing tunnels within the city center are issues. Still, there are concerns about the complicated procedures and slow construction speed required for commercialization.

Although seven years have passed since its establishment in 2016, the current operating route length is only 3.86 km (2.4 miles). Even if it is commercialized, much controversy is expected over usage fees.