Black Friday Sale! 50% Off All Access

Watch Elon Musk's Underground Sled Reach 125 mph A video depicts a test run inside one of the tubes Elon Musk hopes to spread across Los Angeles, offering sleds for cars to bypass congestion on roads overhead.

Entrepreneur+ Black Friday Sale

Our biggest sale — Get unlimited access to Entrepreneur.com at an unbeatable price. Use code SAVE50 at checkout.*

Claim Offer

*Offer only available to new subscribers

This story originally appeared on PCMag

via PC Mag
Elon Musk

Get ready to bypass congested city streets by putting your car on Elon Musk's underground sled, which can travel at at 125 mph.

The serial entrepreneur and founder on Friday offered the first glimpse of his idea for a new network of urban transportation tunnels via an Instagram video of what appears to be an actual test run performed in Los Angeles. In the test video, an electric sled accelerates gradually to 125 mph before its forceful brakes kick in and bring it to an abrupt stop.

Musk didn't offer any details about the test other than a brief caption on his Instagram video (which, by the way, is potentially seizure-inducing, so watch it with care). He did, however, post a few more photos of the tunnel test site, including some shots of a tunnel boring machine (TBM) being lowered into the access pit.

TBMs are frequently used in large underground tunnel projects, including new sewer mains and the Channel tunnel, and their name also gave rise to the moniker for Musk's project: the Boring Company. Musk initially teased his tunneling plans last fall, explaining that they were born partly out of frustration over persistent Southern California gridlock.

The first tunnel will run from the Los Angeles International Airport to Culver City, Santa Monica, Westwood and Sherman Oaks, Musk wrote on Instagram. He plans to build more tunnels that will cover the entire LA area, but he didn't announce a timeline.

In a video posted to YouTube last month, the Boring Company explained that drivers would pull their car onto a metal platform on the side of the road and the vehicle would then be lowered into the underground tunnel system. Once the platform is connected to the sled, it would take over, propelling the driver and his or her car to the tunnel exit point closest to their destination.

The Boring Company isn't the first high-speed underground tunnel idea Musk has put forth. He also helped create the technical underpinnings of the hyperloop, a magnetically levitating underground train that travels at jetliner-like speeds.

Tom Brant

News reporter

Tom is PCMag's San Francisco-based news reporter. 

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Science & Technology

I've Spent 20 Years Studying Focus. Here's How I Use AI to Multiply My Time and Save 21 Weeks of Work a Year

AI is supposed to save time, but 77% of employees say it often costs more time due to all the editing it requires. Instead of helping, it can become a distraction. But don't worry — there's a better way.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Business News

The Two Richest People in the World Are Fighting on Social Media Again

Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk had a new, contentious exchange on X.

Money & Finance

Why Donald Trump's Business-First Policies Trump Harris' Consumer-Centric Approach

President Donald Trump's pro-business agenda is packed with policy moves encouraging investment to drive economic growth. The next Congress has a unique opportunity to support entrepreneurship and innovation, improving U.S. competitiveness with the rest of the world.

Business News

Barbara Corcoran Says This Is the Interest Rate Magic Number That Will Make the Market 'Go Ballistic'

Corcoran said she praying for lower interest rates and people are "tired of waiting."

Growing a Business

Build a Business That Will Sell: From Valuations to a Successful Exit

Join us for this free webinar and learn how to develop a business that buyers will find irresistible.