Ilon Mask introduced the concept of underground tunnels for car traffic
On April 28, 2017, The Boring Company published a video demonstrating the concept of tunnels for car traffic. The concept suggests:
Probably, under the ground, the movement of platforms with cars is controlled by a single computer control system, which allows to achieve high efficiency, safety and high throughput of tunnels with interchanges of any complexity.
In such a system, the speed of movement can be much higher than the speed of movement on roads on the surface of the earth, and throughput can be much higher. Routing platforms with cars occurs like packet switching in a communication network.
In addition, under the ground, you can get the benefits of a 3D tunnel layout. On the ground, roads are usually laid in the same plane, and under the ground you can lay as many tunnels as you like one below the other. They will not intersect, so do not have to spend time at intersections. In one of the early interviews, Ilon Musk spoke about laying 30 levels of tunnels.
In his speech at the TEDTalk conference, Ilon Musk said he would spend on work The Boring Companyabout 2-3% of their time. This means that the concept of revolutionary transformation of automobile traffic is very distant plans. There is no talk about practical implementation in the near future. At least, during the life of Ilona Mask, it is unlikely that they will be able to realize these ideas, because modern tunneling shields lay tunnels at a speed of several tens of meters per day. Thus, to implement the idea, you must first dramatically improve the characteristics of tunneling shields.
Company The Boring Company is now going to lay demonstration tunnel in the parking lot near the office SpaceX .
Already purchased tunnel shield. Ilon Mask plans to improve its specifications several times. According to him, a slight improvement will be quite easy, and acceleration of the gasket 5 times is not insanely difficult. It is possible to increase the speed of laying the tunnel 10 times, but this is an extremely difficult task, and nobody has canceled the laws of physics, Ilon said.
The pit for the tunnel began to dig in February 2017. In the "demonstration tunnel" in the SpaceX parking area, employees' cars can be parked, and the tunnel itself can form the basis of a future underground transportation network. Probably digging a tunnel at a depth of about 15 meters to ensure that you avoid meeting with the gas pipeline and water supply. On the territory of SpaceX, the owner can dig as many tunnels as he pleases without permission, but for laying underground tunnels on municipal property, including in the suburbs of Los Angeles, it is required to obtain permission from the authorities. This permission will be required if the tunnel wants to extend beyond the corporate parking.
- special hatches with elevators on city roads for descending into the tunnel and lifting back;
- transport platforms for cars that move over the contact rail;
- speed of movement of platforms 200 km / h;
- multi-level network of underground tunnels.
Probably, under the ground, the movement of platforms with cars is controlled by a single computer control system, which allows to achieve high efficiency, safety and high throughput of tunnels with interchanges of any complexity.
In such a system, the speed of movement can be much higher than the speed of movement on roads on the surface of the earth, and throughput can be much higher. Routing platforms with cars occurs like packet switching in a communication network.
In addition, under the ground, you can get the benefits of a 3D tunnel layout. On the ground, roads are usually laid in the same plane, and under the ground you can lay as many tunnels as you like one below the other. They will not intersect, so do not have to spend time at intersections. In one of the early interviews, Ilon Musk spoke about laying 30 levels of tunnels.
In his speech at the TEDTalk conference, Ilon Musk said he would spend on work The Boring Companyabout 2-3% of their time. This means that the concept of revolutionary transformation of automobile traffic is very distant plans. There is no talk about practical implementation in the near future. At least, during the life of Ilona Mask, it is unlikely that they will be able to realize these ideas, because modern tunneling shields lay tunnels at a speed of several tens of meters per day. Thus, to implement the idea, you must first dramatically improve the characteristics of tunneling shields.
Company The Boring Company is now going to lay demonstration tunnel in the parking lot near the office SpaceX .
Already purchased tunnel shield. Ilon Mask plans to improve its specifications several times. According to him, a slight improvement will be quite easy, and acceleration of the gasket 5 times is not insanely difficult. It is possible to increase the speed of laying the tunnel 10 times, but this is an extremely difficult task, and nobody has canceled the laws of physics, Ilon said.
The pit for the tunnel began to dig in February 2017. In the "demonstration tunnel" in the SpaceX parking area, employees' cars can be parked, and the tunnel itself can form the basis of a future underground transportation network. Probably digging a tunnel at a depth of about 15 meters to ensure that you avoid meeting with the gas pipeline and water supply. On the territory of SpaceX, the owner can dig as many tunnels as he pleases without permission, but for laying underground tunnels on municipal property, including in the suburbs of Los Angeles, it is required to obtain permission from the authorities. This permission will be required if the tunnel wants to extend beyond the corporate parking.