Elon Musk has ambitious plans for his tunneling company - here's what we know
But if all goes according to plan, Musk could enter the realm of city planning sooner than we think.
There are quite a few moving parts that will determine whether the Boring Company can execute Musk's vision. Not only does it need to demonstrate proven Hyperloop technology, but secure state and city permits to dig across the US.
Musk has acknowledged that getting necessary permits will take "a lot of work."
Although some startups are pursuing Hyperloop technology, the Boring Company plans to build the system without outside help.
Source: Bloomberg
Hyperloop One, a startup headed by venture capitalist Shervin Pishevar, has announced two successful tests of its Hyperloop system, pictured above. Some universities and colleges have also demonstrated Hyperloop technology through a SpaceX competition.
But the system has yet to be fully proven.
City officials have yet to fully embrace the project. Some noted that Musk made the announcement regarding "verbal approval" without first contacting the cities directly affected.
At the time of writing this, New York and Philadelphia city representatives said Musk has not made any contact with officials about the Hyperloop Project.
However, a Philadelphia spokesperson told Business Insider last Wednesday that the Boring Company has since reached out, but city officials have not scheduled a meeting with the company.
A city official for Washington DC said they were still waiting to hear more about the project in a statement to Business Insider. A spokesperson for Baltimore's mayor office did not return a request for comment.
Musk said the Boring Company plans to dig a tunnel that would support a Hyperloop between New York and Washington DC. He said he has received verbal government approval on a federal level to pursue the project, but has yet to elaborate on that claim.
Musk used to sit on two separate advisory councils under President Donald Trump.
The Hyperloop would make stops in Baltimore and Philadelphia, Musk has said. It would travel between New York and Washington DC in just 29 minutes.
It makes sense that Musk would want to explore a tunneling system that integrates cars in a city like Los Angeles. But the Boring Company is exploring ways to use tunnels to support a high-speed rail or Hyperloop.
Musk is in talks with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel about using the tunnel to support a high-speed rail connection between downtown Chicago and O'Hare International Airport, according to the Chicago Tribune.
The electric skate would transport cars through the tunnel at speeds up to 130 mph, Musk has said. It could also transport passenger cars, pictured below, so pedestrians could use the tunnel system.
The SpaceX tunnel is specifically being used to test Musk's futuristic car skate. It's not being used for mass transit, but instead for general research and development.
Boring Company is currently testing a tunnel boring machine that was used for a sewer project in Sunnydale, California. The ultimate goals is to use the machine, named Godot, to learn how tunneling technology can be altered to dig tunnels faster and at a lower cost.
Source: Boring Company tunnel presentation, courtesy of Electrek.
The Boring Company is looking to cut down costs by building a machine that can dig and place reinforcements in the wall at the same time, Musk said in April. Tunneling machines traditionally dig for half the time and then go back to add reinforcements, a longer and costlier process.
Godot has successfully dug a tunnel on SpaceX's parking lot at the intersection of Crenshaw Boulevard and Rocket Road in Los Angeles. The Boring Company plans to extend the tunnel another two miles, but needs to secure permits to do so.
Musk aims to build an underground network of tunnels where cars and trains could travel at super high-speeds.
Musk said on Twitter in December that he wanted to build a tunnel boring machine because LA traffic was driving him "nuts."
Los Angeles has the worst traffic of all the cities in the US, so Musk's frustrations aren't unique to him.
In February, Musk fleshed out his plan in a Bloomberg profile. He said the company's ultimate goal is to build an underground network that "includes as many as 30 levels of tunnels for cars and high-speed trains such as the Hyperloop."
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