Musk’s Boring Co. seeks expansion of Las Vegas tunnel project

Boring Tunnel construction

Elon Musk is expanding his Sin City ambitions.

The Tesla CEO’s Boring Co., which is months away from opening two tunnels that will transport passengers under the massive Las Vegas Convention Center at up to 155 mph, has applied for a special-use permit to spread the tunnel system across Las Vegas.

Boring’s $52 million Convention Center Loop is scheduled to be finished in January. The tunnels are expected to speed convention center guests across the 200-acre campus in less than two minutes in modified, autonomous Tesla electric vehicles.

Boring marked the end of excavation in May, breaking through a concrete wall near the center’s 1.4 million-square-foot West Hall expansion. This week, a video emerged on Twitter that appears to show the first vehicles entering the tunnel system.

Now Boring is proposing to extend service from the convention center to casinos along the Strip, as well as to McCarran International Airport, Allegiant Stadium, downtown Las Vegas “and eventually to Los Angeles.”

“The Vegas Loop will be a game changer for our visitors seeking to quickly access world-class attractions and resorts throughout the destination in a fun and convenient way,” said Steve Hill, CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

According to published reports, the project would span about 15 miles and could involve 50 passenger stations.

On its website, Boring Co. says it will be able to whisk passengers from the Mandalay Bay hotel on the southern edge of the Strip north to the convention center in about three minutes, a trip that can take 30 minutes by car during peak times.

— Leslie J. Allen

What you need to know

GMC Hummer EV debuts Hummer is back, and so is its six-digit price tag. For $112,595, the 2022 GMC Hummer Edition 1, unveiled Tuesday, comes with underbody armor and cameras, a removable Infinity Roof and a battery range of more than 350 miles via three electric motors. Production of the Edition 1 is scheduled to begin in late 2021, followed by production of progressively less expensive configurations from fall 2022 through spring 2024. The off-road pickup, which General Motors will build at the Detroit plant it has renamed Factory Zero, will be the first electric vehicle in GMC’s portfolio.

Ford’s AV commercial services to launch with Escape hybrids Ford Motor Co. on Tuesday for the first time acknowledged what type of vehicle it will use to launch its self-driving commercial services in 2022: an Escape hybrid. The automaker in a blog post said it will start rolling out Escape hybrids as its fourth-generation autonomous test vehicle in the coming months. The previous three generations of test vehicles used the Fusion sedan, which has been discontinued. The Gen 4 test vehicles include new near-field cameras that face the front and side, both long- and short-range lidar sensors and new features to keep the sensors clean.

Roundup

Cruise, GM to seek U.S. approval for vehicle with no pedal or steering wheel.

LG Chem mulls North America, Europe expansion to meet EV battery demand.

Uber offers more than $1 billion to buy the Daimler-BMW ride-hailing venture Free Now, report says.

Volvo’s first EV priced to move – starting at $54,985.

Reservations for Hummer Edition 1 sold out in minutes.

GM to build Cadillac Lyriq, other EVs in Tenn.

Mercedes has added AMG, Maybach EVs to meet emissions targets. Meanwhile, Mercedes has reversed its EV entry strategy for the U.S.

Nissan’s Safety Shield 360 to be standard on 10 models.

Honda, Hyundai and Toyota collaborate in connected-vehicle pilot.

GM renames Detroit-Hamtramck plant Factory Zero.

Israeli companies team up on following automated lane-keeping regulation.