Recently, a video of the underground high-speed tunnel of The Boring Company founded by Musk has triggered a hot discussion on the extranet.
In order to alleviate the problem of traffic jams in the city and improve people's travel efficiency, Musk founded Boring Company in 2017, which is committed to combining tunneling technology with an all-electric public transportation system. The company has built two LVCC Loop underground tunnels at the Las Vegas Convention Center in an attempt to build a high-speed tunnel consisting of Tesla's fleet, which will be operational in July 2021.
Recently, the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2022) opened in Las Vegas, and the LVCC Loop Underground Tunnel used 70 Tesla cars to transport CES attendees. Some guests said that "this tunnel will actually be stuck in traffic", and uploaded a video of their experience to social media, causing netizens to question whether this underground tunnel is high-speed and safe.
Video from Benjamin Brochstein (03:47)
In the video, less than a minute after the Tesla driver drove into the tunnel, the vehicle encountered a traffic jam, and 6 or 7 cars could be seen in front of the tunnel moving slowly. "So there's a lot of traffic jams here?" The passenger asked. Drivers said that such traffic conditions are uncommon and (traffic jams) are caused by the temporary closure of the South Station exit in the three-stop system. As for the reason for the closure, the driver is not clear.
This traffic jam caused the car to slow down to about 8 kilometers per hour. The video shows that the three stations of the underground tunnel have a one-way travel time of about 3 and a half minutes.
According to Bored, the LVCC Loop Underground Tunnel System is a three-station transportation system consisting of 2.74 kilometers of tunnels, including two tunnels and three stations, costing a total of $52.5 million and taking about a year to complete. It connects the new showroom of the Las Vegas Convention Center and three campuses, namely the north, middle and south halls, shortening the 45-minute walk to about 2 minutes. The tunnel is designed for a maximum speed of 250 km/h, with vehicles operating at a maximum speed of more than 200 km/h and can accommodate 4,400 passengers per hour.
Currently, Tesla in the tunnel only maintains a maximum speed of 40 miles per hour. According to the official website, CES 2022 attendees spent less than 2 minutes on average in the tunnel and an average wait time of less than 15 seconds. The traffic jam in this video seems to have only added more than a minute to the planned two-minute trip.
But the video sparked thousands of comments on social networks, with concerns expressed about the potential for severe traffic jams and fire safety in the underground tunnels. According to local news reports, tunnel drivers have received extensive emergency training. According to the company's official website, the tunnel can safely evacuate passengers and minimize potential sources of fire or water. The tunnel has a two-way ventilation system that can discharge smoke, and is equipped with camera coverage, emergency exit, fire detection system, fire extinguishing system and fire level 1 emergency system throughout the process. Passengers can communicate directly with the operation control center 24 hours a day through cellular services and WiFi, etc.
The video publisher then told the media: "So far, I have experienced the tunnel five times and there is almost no need to wait. The journey was fast and simple, like a short Uber trip. There's a lot to do in the short run at the International Consumer Electronics Show, and it's really useful to be able to save 15 to 20 minutes here. ”
In response to the incident, BoredOm and the Las Vegas Convention Authority have not yet responded.