Elon Musk Says He'll Offer Free Underground Tunnel Rides in Los Angeles This December The Boring Company's CEO says the first mass transit tunnel will be completed by Dec. 10.
By Hayden Field
In less than two months, Los Angeles consumers may be careening through a two-mile underground tunnel at speeds up to 155 miles per hour.
That's according to Elon Musk, founder and CEO of The Boring Company, who announced the news Sunday -- via Twitter, of course.
Opens Dec 10
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 22, 2018
Musk, who also runs electric car giant Tesla and rocket company SpaceX, founded The Boring Company in 2016 with the aim to revolutionize mass transit and cargo movement. Musk has said the company spawned from a joke, but whatever its inspiration, the infrastructure and tunnel construction company is now an industry leader -- raising close to $113 million in venture funding in April, according to an SEC filing. The company aims to develop regional tunnels on the east and west coasts, as well as one connecting D.C. and Baltimore and another between downtown Chicago and the O'Hare airport -- all using Musk's idea to transport people on fast-moving "electric skates," a technology he calls "Loop."
Related: I Ran My Day Like Elon Musk Runs His -- and This Is What Happened
When the first test tunnel -- under the Hawthorne neighborhood of Los Angeles -- is finished, it should be able to carry pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles. And in a follow-up tweet, Musk announced he'd be offering up free rides at the SpaceX headquarters the day following the opening event.
As far as the Dec. 10 goal, it may be wise to look at it as a ballpark figure rather than a sure thing -- after all, Musk has a tendency to over-promise on deadlines and, at times, underdeliver. (Just look at his track record for Tesla's Model 3 production schedule or SpaceX's timeline goals). In a June shareholder meeting, Musk admitted he does "have an issue with time" and that it's something he's "been trying to get better at."
One Twitter user asked Musk to clarify regarding his self-imposed deadline, and the famed entrepreneur's response speaks for itself.
I think real
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 22, 2018
