Watch Elon Musk's Underground Sled Reach 125 mphA 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.

ByTom Brant

This story originally appeared onPCMag

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 anInstagram videoof 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 theChannel 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 avideoposted 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 thehyperloop, a magnetically levitating underground train that travels at jetliner-like speeds.

Wavy Line
Tom Brant

News reporter

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

Editor's Pick

Related Topics

Money & Finance

Want to Become a Millionaire? Follow Warren Buffett's 4 Rules.

企业家是不能过度指狗万官方望太多a company exit for their eventual 'win.' Do this instead.

Leadership

4 Key Indicators It's Time for You to Hire Your First Employees and Stop Doing Everything Alone

Deciding on the perfect timing to make the shift from solopreneur to team leader can be challenging, but there are certain signs of whether you are prepared or not to take the plunge and recruit staff. Take a look and see if you've reached these milestones and if you should start thinking about hiring outside help.

Living

How to Start a 'Million Dollar' Morning Routine

Restructure your morning with a few simple steps that may help to amplify your energy.

Making a Change

Why Jack Canfield's 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' Series Was Originally Rejected

It's not enough to have a dream - you need the motivation to stick it out and achieve it.

Business Ideas

55 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2023

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2023.

Business Solutions

Learn to Program an AI Chatbot for Your Business in This $30 Course

Get back-to-school savings on this AI coding course.