No surprises here. Elon Musk's proposed solution for Los Angeles, California's horrendous traffic will fit a Tesla Model S inside.
The solution comes from Musk's latest venture, The Boring Company, and it's begun to dig underneath the headquarters of another Musk venture, SpaceX.
Musk took to Instagram to provide an update on the project, where he said the tunnel will start in Hawthorne. If you haven't kept up to speed on The Boring Company, the company envisions a network of underground tunnels to bypass ground traffic above. Cars, bikes, and more would drive onto an elevator, which would drop the vehicle down into a tunnel. From there, an electric sled carries the vehicle at speeds up to 125 mph to its destination. Previously, Musk also shared that the company's first elevator shaft was operational, and showed a Model S being lowered underground.
The concept doesn't envision hundreds of hubs, however. Instead, the elevator shafts would be found at major traffic hot spots to alleviate congestion. Musk has said a trip from suburbs of Westwood to LAX would take about five minutes. With traffic, it normally takes about an hour to cover the same distance above the ground.
This project is different from Hyperloop, which Musk may be directly involved with now. Recently, a Hyperloop made a test run where it reached speeds of 210 mph in just 0.8 miles.
While The Boring Company keeps tunneling away, there are some roadblocks to the traffic-congestion solution. Although the city of Los Angeles likes the idea, there are mounds of red tape, permits, and legalities that stand in the way.
It's not the simplest idea to start tunneling under private property. Musk would also have to convince hundreds of officials of the concept, though he's called talks "promising" so far. Will Southern Californians be riding electric sleds underground some day? It remains to be seen.
