Up until now I have been critical of Tesla. It isn’t because the technology they are producing isn’t incredible, because it is. My criticism lies in the fact that the automobile is the solution to a twentieth century problem not a twenty-first century problem. High speed rail, Hyperloop, and even last mile solutions like electric bikes, scooters, and even Segway’s are where I feel we should be investing. But maybe I judged Musk too harshly and his vision is just further ahead that the rest of us can see.
I have been reading about The Boring Company and I don’t know how this had escaped me in the past, but I do not believe Musk is creating tunnels for automobile commuting. Instead, I think he is bypassing the inefficient and costly process of building subways with a more elegant solution that is provided by Tesla.
Take the example of the Las Vegas project (LVCC Loop) that is currently in progress. Two tunnels, an inbound and outbound tunnel, is a loop that will convert a 15 minute walk to a 1 minute ride using Tesla cars as an autonomous shuttle. This is a small step maybe even a proof of concept that, once operational, will demonstrate the concepts feasibility. The concept uses a modified Tesla 3 that can transport up to 16 people at a time.
If this works, Musk will have privatized mass transit, created a commercial market for Tesla cars, and taken The Boring Company from pet project to a lynchpin in a plan for sustainable transportation. And he did this in a fraction of the time, probably decades faster, than it would have taken to put in a standard municipal subway and for a fraction of the cost.
I am not sure this was his intention, but the end result is the same. If I was I was Lyft, Uber, and Lime I would be cutting exclusive deals with Musk to supply the terminals with electric last mile options.