SpaceX founder Elon Musk is back with a new announcement, this time to beat the traffic voes. Musk along with project leader Steve Davis spoke about an idea of creating an underground network for mass transit through tunnels. The two spoke at The Boring Company Information Session and expressed their vision for creating 'pods' that could transport 16 passengers at a time at a cost of just a dollar! Musk thus has a plan to reinvent the transportation system in Los Angeles. Earlier Musk had said that the pod transport would be lesser than a bus ticket before he announced it at $1. What's more? Musk even offered a free ride to those who want to test his tunnels.
Musk said the rides will be a subway-rail service which he called as a 'Loop.' He described the tunnels as "almost like an autonomous, underground multi-level car system," which may eventually number in the thousands. To quote him, "It's one [solution for LA traffic] we think could work and is worth trying," he said. He said the startup will be designing its own tunneling machine, which Musk guarantees will be 10 times as fast as existing machines. Steve Davis, executive, Boring Company said that the tunnels from LA to San Francisco will be done within a few weeks. They are just taking the initial steps for a network of tunnels spreading across 60 miles in the city.
Check out Elon Musk's tweet about the new planned transportation system:
Boring Co urban loop system would have 1000’s of small stations the size of a single parking space that take you very close to your destination & blend seamlessly into the fabric of a city, rather than a small number of big stations like a subway
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 9, 2018
The video of how the loop will look:
Better video coming soon, but it would look a bit like this: pic.twitter.com/C0iJPi8b4U
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 9, 2018
Earlier Musk also tweeted expressing a possibility of working with the LA metro going forward. The problem although lies with the entire digging process, then taking out the dirt and the speedy test run. The city government has been receptive. Concerns are also being expressed about the environmental damage the system could cause. The Loop is estimated to go 150 miles per hour. It will be all electric and cause no emissions. This endeavour also has its supporters who are looking forward to the many benefits it will bring to the busy areas in the cities.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 18, 2018 03:43 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).