Musk sends Model X through tunnel on training wheels
Elon Musk presented the underground transport system Loop of his Boring Company in a test tube. Contrary to expectations, however, no autonomous e-shuttle was presented at the same time. Instead, a retrofit solution for autonomous electric cars was presented using the Tesla Model X as an example.
The Model X was fitted with fold-out horizontal support wheels that hold the electric car in the narrow tunnel lane. With this system, the vehicle will be able to reach speeds of up to 240 km/h using their own drive.
The modified Model X only reached 80 km/h during the test drive in a 1.8 km long tube in Los Angeles. According to company boss, Elon Musk, they were not able to smooth the ground properly before the preview, so that according to media reports the relatively low speed of 80 km/h was already quite bumpy.
The Boring Company Loop system pic.twitter.com/xVpDHzZKXB
— The Boring Company (@boringcompany) December 19, 2018
Musk had already said in summer that The Boring Company was working on developing modified electric vehicles based on the Tesla Model X for eight to 16 passengers who could travel autonomously on rails in the tunnels. This increasingly illustrates the direct link between the two companies – The Boring Company and Tesla.
It remains to be seen how the autonomous e-shuttle will fit into this system, the unveiling of which Musk announced at the beginning of the month. It is said to be road legal, so it is unlikely to be intended exclusively for use inside tunnels.
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