zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Culture
/
Elon Musk Says ‘Hyperloop’ Tunnel Is Now Just a Normal Car Tunnel Because ‘This Is Simple and Just Works’
Elon Musk Says ‘Hyperloop’ Tunnel Is Now Just a Normal Car Tunnel Because ‘This Is Simple and Just Works’-December 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:13:03

Image for article titled Elon Musk Says ‘Hyperloop’ Tunnel Is Now Just a Normal Car Tunnel Because ‘This Is Simple and Just Works’

Back in 2017, Elon Musk for the test track built by The Boring Company, his tunneling firm, in Los Angeles. The Boring Company’s tunneling work was , which would require hundreds of miles of tunneling to be viable, although the actual test track in California bore none of the traits of an air vacuum-based transportation system. It would have proprietary vehicles with varying capacities for private travel, public transport, or freight. They would travel along electrified skates for frictionless movement. It would be fast and efficient, but more importantly, it would be different, because he’s a genius.

Six months ago, the first demonstration of that track didn’t quite match that vision: it was a Tesla Model X on a sled going down a very bumpy tunnel at roughly 50 mph.

Elon Musk and his Boring Company made quite a bit of a splash out in Los Angeles last night, but…

At the time, Musk said the bumpiness : “That bumpiness will definitely not be there down the road—it will be smooth as glass.”

Credit where credit’s due: it does appear to be smooth as glass now, according to a video The Boring Company released of a car going 127 mph down the tunnel. How did it achieve such miraculous speed and comfort improvements in a mere six months?

They paved it.

Yes, for those keeping score, in a mere two years we’ve gone from a futuristic vision of electric skates zooming around a variety of vehicles in a network of underground tunnels to—and I cannot stress this enough—a very small, paved tunnel that can fit one (1) car.

The video’s marketing conceit is that the car in the tunnel beats a car trying to go the same distance on roads. You’ll never believe this, but the car that has a dedicated right of way wins. Congratulations to The Boring Company for proving dedicated rights of way are important for speedy transportation, something transportation planners figured out roughly two centuries ago. I’m afraid for how many tunnels they’ll have to dig before they likewise acknowledge the validity of .

Indeed, The Boring Company hasn’t just given up on the sleds in the test track. The company with Las Vegas to build a short people-mover through their convention center. But, as Curbed’s Alissa Walker has been pointing out, that plan is also for the familiar technology of cars with rubber tires in tunnels on pavement.

Why did Musk give up on his sled dream? Why was the tunnel paved over? Here’s from the man himself:

To recap: Musk’s company spent two years developing a very narrow car tunnel. To anyone who ever believed Elon Musk’s bullshit: you’ve been had.

: This story has been updated to clarify The Boring Company’s relationship to Hyperloops.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Culture
2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness: What Do You Want To Know?
2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness: What Do You Want To Know?
Subaru for only its most capable vehicles, with cars and using the extra ground clearance and rugged accessories to bravely go where no Subaru has gone before. Now, the Japanese company’s smallest model is getting the Wilderness treatment and we’re off to see what it’s like. Unveiled earlier this...
Dec 22, 2024
UAW Strike To Expand This Week Unless 'Serious Progress' Is Made
UAW Strike To Expand This Week Unless 'Serious Progress' Is Made
is reportedly planning to strike at morestarting on Friday, September 29 if “serious progress” isn’t made in . According to , plans to announce new targets at 10 a.m. on Friday, and workers will then walk out of those sites at noon. The outlet adds that the UAW is...
Dec 22, 2024
The Citroën Type Holidays Is The Raddest Camper Van Of All
The Citroën Type Holidays Is The Raddest Camper Van Of All
The thing has lately, going from a full on fad at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to a passing trend. That’s too bad for Citroën, as it just debuted the best from a major automaker by far, called the Citroën Type Holidays. It’s only a concept for now,...
Dec 22, 2024
A Woman Flipped A Kia Seltos Over Onto A Busy Beach In Australia
A Woman Flipped A Kia Seltos Over Onto A Busy Beach In Australia
on vacation at Balmoral Beach witnessed a bizarre crash on Monday after a young woman drove a into a concrete barrier, flipping the crossover clean over onto a part of the beach that was luckily unoccupied at the time, as reports. The 33-year old woman driving the Kia was accompanied...
Dec 22, 2024
Trump Tells Supporters EVs Will ‘Spell The Death’ Of The Auto Industry
Trump Tells Supporters EVs Will ‘Spell The Death’ Of The Auto Industry
Good morning! It’s Thursday, September 28, 2023, and this is , your daily roundup of the top automotive headlines from around the world, in one place. Here are the important stories you need to know. reportedly told on Wednesday that electric vehicles would “s” since they cost too much...
Dec 22, 2024
Another 3.4 Million Hyundais and Kias Recalled For Fire Risk
Another 3.4 Million Hyundais and Kias Recalled For Fire Risk
Good morning! It’s Wednesday, September 27, 2023, and this is , your daily roundup of the top automotive headlines from around the world, in one place. Here are the important stories you need to know. are recalling a combined 3.37 million vehicles in the U.S. because of an ....
Dec 22, 2024
Copyright 2023-2024 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved