Elon Musk's ambitious vision for alleviating urban traffic congestion, famously dubbed the Vegas Loop by his Boring Company, is reportedly proving to be a significantly more modest affair than originally presented. A recent experience by a passenger described the journey as a relatively slow and brief trip beneath the streets of Las Vegas, a stark contrast to the futuristic, high-speed transport system initially promised.
The current iteration of the Vegas Loop involves passengers travelling in standard Tesla vehicles, driven by humans, through a white-walled tunnel roughly 30 feet underground. The speed limit within these tunnels is stated to be 30mph, with journeys typically lasting only a few minutes. This experience is a considerable departure from Musk's 2017 announcement, which featured sci-fi visualisations of cars descending onto 'electric skates' and whisking along at speeds of 124mph (200km/h) within a multi-level network of tunnels.
Musk founded the Boring Company after expressing frustration with traffic, publicly stating his intent to build tunnel boring machines. While the company has achieved a valuation of $5.7 billion by 2022, and initially raised capital through unconventional means like selling branded flamethrowers, many of its proposed projects in cities beyond Las Vegas, such as Los Angeles, Washington, and Chicago, have since failed to materialise. Las Vegas remains the primary city to adopt the Boring Company's proposal.
The first three stations of the Vegas Loop opened in 2021, primarily connecting the vast Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) over a distance of approximately one mile. By 2025, the network expanded to include three nearby casino resorts: Resorts World, the Westgate, and the Encore. Passengers cannot drive their own vehicles into the tunnels but must book one of the Loop's Teslas from designated access points. A single trip costs $4.25, equivalent to around £3.15, with a day pass available for $12.50 (approximately £9.30).
Observers suggest that the discrepancy between the initial grand promises and the current reality of the Vegas Loop aligns with a broader pattern associated with Elon Musk's ventures. Critics point to other initiatives, from self-driving Teslas to intelligent robots and Mars missions, which have reportedly not met their promised deadlines or functionalities. This has led some to characterise the Boring Company as an example of 'Muskism' in action, where ambitious concepts often face a more constrained reality.
During peak times, such as major conventions, the system can reportedly have up to 160 Teslas in circulation. However, outside of these busy periods, the number of operational vehicles can be significantly lower, with some reports indicating as few as four in circulation on quieter days. Furthermore, the tunnels are not always two-way, meaning vehicles may need to wait for oncoming traffic to clear before proceeding, further impacting the efficiency of the 'loop' design.
Source: The Guardian