Elon Musks Boring Company starts regular operations in the Tesla tunnel under Las Vegas
This is what the main train station looks like under the Las Vegas LVCC. (Image: Tesla)
After a short test phase in May, Elon Musks Boring Company has now officially put the so-called LVCC loop in Las Vegas into operation. Some adjustments to the concept have already been made.
The tunnel system under the exhibition grounds, the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC), the city of the same name in the US state of Nevada, is now in regular operation. This means that completion is only slightly off schedule.
Originally, the $ 52 million Las Vegas was supposed to be LVCC loop to start operations in January 2021 for the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). This schedule no longer played a role in terms of content, because the CES only took place virtually.
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This is the Las Vegas Tesla Tunnel
The loop system consists of two tubes and three stations and is intended to connect the ends of the extensive exhibition grounds with the center. According to the original plan, the loop should transport up to 10,000 passengers per hour in autonomously controlled Tesla e-cars at speeds of up to 250 kilometers per hour on the underground highways.
There is no longer any question of that at any point. In fact, the passengers are chauffeured like in a taxi in Teslas, who are equipped with a driver. Instead of the maximum 250 km / h, the vehicle actually drives at 55 kilometers per hour. And instead of an assumed capacity of 10,000 passengers, we are now talking about around 4,500. The Tesla models S, 3 and X are used for transport.
With a length of almost three kilometers per tunnel, the loop is not dependent on high-speed operation. (Image: Tesla)
The restrictions are not relevant in practice. On the 2.7 kilometer long tunnel, which is also interrupted roughly in the middle by the Central Station, high speeds make no noticeable difference. On the other hand, the very short routes would have been clearly suitable for autonomous operation.
Las Vegas is to be further tunneled under
For Elon Musks Boring Company, the loop under the exhibition center is just the first step. In the future, an even larger tunnel system is to be built under the central Las Vegas Strip, the famous main street of the US amusement center.
Musk’s dream project is the only conceptually existing hyper-loop between New York and Washington. The Boring Company is currently looking for manufacturers of new types of drilling machines – two German projects have good chances.
