Los Angeles’ notorious traffic may someday be a thing of the past. Elon Musk, co-founder of Tesla, invited guests to a special unveiling of his new underground transportation system. Don’t get too excited, though. The tunnel is only meant to be a “proof of concept” — a $10 billion one at that — as it currently stretches over a mile under Musk’s SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne.
Guests were treated to some of the first rides in the bumpy prototype, as Musk revealed the paving machines moved slower than anticipated. “It’ll be smooth as glass,” the entrepreneur promised as he gushed about his “epic” first time riding through it. For Musk, building the tunnel came out of a “eureka moment” he said, telling reporters “this thing is going to damn well work.”
The reveal comes almost two years after Musk vented on Twitter about California’s “soul-destroying traffic.” The entrepreneur explained that cars would need to be autonomous to run properly and would require special tires that consumers could purchase for a few hundred dollars. Of course, only electric cars would be able to run through the tunnels, as cars running on gas would be lethal. Musk avoided any concern about noise and the disruption in L.A. that would inevitably result if building the tunnels were to become a reality, The Associated Press reported.
While new photos of the underground transportation system seem like the answer to California’s traffic woes, only time will tell just how revolutionary Musk’s novel idea actually is.
In the meantime, see photos of the Elon Musk’s underground test tunnel unveiling below:
Boring Company’s Hawthorne Test Tunnel Unveiling
Dec. 18, 2018
Elon Musk, co-founder and chief executive officer of Tesla Inc., speaks during an unveiling event for the Boring Company Hawthorne test tunnel in Hawthorne, California on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018. Musk has unveiled his underground transportation tunnel, allowing invited guests to take some of the first rides ever on the tech entrepreneur’s solution to “soul-destroying traffic.” The tunnel, meant to be a “proof of concept,” runs just over a mile under Musk’s SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne. (Robyn Beck/Pool Photo via AP)
The Boring Co. signage is displayed at the tunnel entrance before an unveiling event for the Boring Co. Hawthorne test tunnel. (Robyn Beck/Pool Photo via AP)
The “linestorm” second generation tunnel boring equipment is displayed before an unveiling event for the Boring Company Hawthorne test tunnel. (Robyn Beck/Pool Photo via AP)
Tunnel boring equipment is displayed before an unveiling event for the Boring Company Hawthorne test tunnel . (Robyn Beck/Pool Photo via AP)
Candido Delgado, a next-door neighbor of a home where Elon Musk’s Boring Company plans to build an elevator shaft below the property for the company’s underground tunnel project, gets into his pickup truck in Hawthorne, California. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A modified Tesla Model X rests on an elevator, right, above the pit and tunnel entrance before an unveiling event for the Boring Company Hawthorne test tunnel. (Robyn Beck/Pool Photo via AP)
A modified Tesla Model X rests on an elevator above the pit and tunnel entrance before an unveiling event for the Boring Co. Hawthorne test tunnel. (Robyn Beck/Pool Photo via AP)
A modified Tesla Model X drives in the tunnel entrance during an unveiling event for the Boring Co. Hawthorne test tunnel. (Robyn Beck/Pool Photo via AP)
A modified Tesla Model X drives in the tunnel entrance during an unveiling event for the Boring Co. Hawthorne test tunnel. (Robyn Beck/Pool Photo via AP)
Elon Musk arrives in a modified Tesla Model X electric vehicle during an unveiling event for the Boring Company Hawthorne test tunnel. (Robyn Beck/Pool Photo via AP)
Elon Musk speaks during an unveiling event for the Boring Company Hawthorne test tunnel. (Robyn Beck/Pool Photo via AP)
Elon Musk, third left, walks through the crowd during an unveiling event for the Boring Company Hawthorne test tunnel. (Robyn Beck/Pool Photo via AP)
Lights illuminate tunnel boring equipment and the tunnel pit entrance during an unveiling event for the Boring Company Hawthorne test tunnel. (Robyn Beck/Pool Photo via AP)
Lead image by Robyn Beck/Pool Photo via the Associated Press. Information sourced from The AP.