Tesla vehicles are now confirmed to be used in Elon Musk’s Boring Company Loop project to create an electric people mover at Las Vegas’ massive convention center.
You can watch them break through the first tunnel in real time.
Last year, we reported on the Boring Company announcing a new proposed “Loop” system of tunnels for approval in Las Vegas.
The project was initiated by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), which operates the city’s massive convention center.
They are currently expanding the already gigantic venue with a new section to open in 2021, and they need a new way to move people between all their different halls.
In May 2019, the LVCVA chose the Boring Company’s $50 million project.
In an interview with Electrek when the project was first announced last year, Boring Company president Steve Davis said that it was likely that the Las Vegas project would be the first commercial Loop project to be completed by the Boring Company.
CEO and founder Elon Musk recently said that he expects the project to be completed by the end of 2020.
A few weeks ago, we reported on how the Boring Company Las Vegas Loop is already more than halfway done on its first of two 0.8-mile-long tunnels.
Now after tunneling forty feet underground for the past three months, the boring machine broke through the concrete wall – completing the excavation for the first of two one-way tunnels.
Here you can watch the Boring Company breakthrough the wall in real-time:
The next step is to disassemble the boring machine, transport it back to the launch pit near the convention center’s south hall, and start digging the second tunnel.
Steve Hill, LVCVA CEO and president, commented on the milestone:
“This marks an important milestone in the future of transportation. Las Vegas is proud to lead the way as the first and only destination to offer an underground transportation solution for moving visitors throughout our convention center.”
With the launch of its test tunnel in Los Angeles in 2018, the Boring Company also unveiled Tesla vehicles on “tracking wheels” as a transport system inside its “Loop” tunnels.
The company said that this system will be considered, but they could also produce a new passenger vehicle built on the Model X chassis.
In a press release about the milestone today, LVCVA confirmed that the system will use Tesla vehicles:
“The system will allow convention attendees to be whisked across the sprawling campus in just over one minute, free of charge, in all-electric Tesla vehicles.”
The plan is for the loop to be able to support “at least 4,400 passengers per hour” and be scalable.
They are also working with the city to potentially expand the loop beyond the convention center and around the city, specifically on the strip and to the airport.
The Boring Company is also working on several other projects, including a new tunnel and “loop” to get to Dodger Stadium in four minutes in Los Angeles, and another loop in Chicago.
Electrek’s Take
It really looks like this thing is going to happen.
First off, it’s a good learning experience on the boring front. Less than a mile in 3 months is still way slower than what the Boring Company aims to achieve, but they can likely learn from this experience to build their next-generation boring machine.
Secondly, this is going to be the first commercial ‘Loop’ project and it’s going to give a better idea of what it can look like and how it can move people efficiently and reduce traffic.
In my opinion, it won’t have much of an impact on the latter with just the convention center.
However, since it will already be there and the Boring Company will have demonstrated a working system, including a non-disruptive tunnel boring process, it would likely be easier to convince the city of Las Vegas to deploy a city-wide system and that could have a much bigger impact on traffic.
What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below.
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