The Boring Company's Far From Boring Tunnels

Tesla EV inside The Boring Company tunnel. (Creative Commons License).

Elon Musk has many business interests, whether it's building a reusable rocket to start a new colony on Mars or breaking world records with Tesla's fastest production EV, they're anything but boring. That even includes Elon Musk's The Boring Company. Even though the company started as a joke, it is now getting contracts in important places, like the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The Boring Company digs tunnels for underground transport as a result of Musk's frustration with the traffic situation in California. Authorities gave permission for The Boring Company to dig and operate an experimental system of two tunnels that measure less than a mile in length underneath The Las Vegas Convention Center. However, The Boring Company has now been given the approval by Clark County to expand its reach.

In the latest agreement, The Boring Company will dig 29 miles of tunnel and build 51 stations, a massive leap from where it started.

This expansion will let the tunnels handle about 57,000 passengers per hour.

The county is not putting up any money for this project as The Boring Company has committed to funding the construction. However, the company plans to request the hotels and other businesses that want to have access to a station to pay. The county will still be involved as its permission is required for each station.

Users of the tunnel will have to adjust their expectations, though, as the futuristic pods levitating through the tunnel in pictures and videos have given way to more realistic Tesla electric vehicles. The company has adopted a more practical approach, using the ‘Tesla in Tunnels’ phrase on its website. Even the autonomous Tesla will still have to be driven by humans as the company is still working on the software powering its Autopilot.

In the latest agreement, The Boring Company will dig 29 miles of tunnel and build 51 stations, a massive leap from where it started. This expansion will let the tunnels handle about 57,000 passengers per hour.

One of the advantages of the Las Vegas Convention Center Loop, or Vegas Loop, is the speed with which passengers can get to their destinations. For example, a five-mile trip from the airport to the Convention Center will take five minutes and cost $10, while going from the Convention Center to the football stadium will take four minutes and cost $6.

Tesla explains that tunnels minimize the usage of valuable surface land and do not conflict with existing transportation systems. They are perfect for growing cities because more tunnels can simply be added as required.

By using electric cars in the tunnels, Tesla and The Boring Company will remove pollution and even get more people to get a feel of their vehicles, which might spur sales for both companies alike.