Elon Musk’s plan of building a series of tunnels under major cities is proving rather slow-going but the outspoken entrepreneur appears as committed to the cause as ever.
Musk recently shared a poll on Twitter asking people to vote on “super safe, Earthquake-proof tunnels under cities to solve traffic” with available answers being “Definitely”, “Maybe”, and “No, I like traffic.” The pole attracted no less than 1,458,548 votes before it was closed.
Musk went on to add that these tunnels would be “for zero emissions vehicles only – no toxic fumes is key. Really, just an underground road, but limited to EVs (from all auto companies). This is not in place of other solutions, eg light rail, but supplemental to them.”
Also Read: Elon Musk’s The Boring Company Unveils ‘Loop’ Test Tunnel Under LA
Work is currently underway on a similar tunnel stretching from the Las Vegas Convention Center to the Strip courtesy of The Boring Company and is expected to be completed in 2020. The project will consist of two tunnels, each roughly a mile long, where passengers will be transported via autonomous vehicles at speeds of up to 155 mph (250 km/h).
The “super safe, Earthquake-proof tunnels” mentioned by Musk in his recent tweets follow the same basic principle and would likely form part of the ‘Loop’ system that would ferry passengers under major cities in autonomous electric vehicles. The main difference would be that the new tunnels discussed would essentially be private, underground roads for those wealthy enough to buy an electric vehicle.
Is this a good way to tackle traffic? We’re not convinced.
These would be road tunnels for zero emissions vehicles only — no toxic fumes is the key. Really, just an underground road, but limited to EVs (from all auto companies). This is not in place of other solutions, eg light rail, but supplemental to them.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 28, 2019