Elon Musk’s endeavours generally get positive reviews from the public and the media, but this one has attracted reviews which are on the distinctly chilly side (to put it mildly). "Boring", "lame", "c***py Disney ride" are some of the reactions to the loop unveiled at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LBCC).
The underground transport system features two one-way tunnels - each approximately a mile in length – three passenger stations (two surface and one underground) and according to the Boring Company’s website “reduces a 45-minute cross-campus walk time to approximately 2 minutes”. Sounds promising, right?
However, the recent unveiling of the loop seems not to have impressed reporters and the public. Their greatest complaint was that although The Boring Company had initially promised that cars will be self-driving and Musk had said vehicles will reach speeds of 155 miles per hour (249kph), the presentation actually consisted of Tesla cars being driven at a pedestrian 35 miles per hour (56kph).
These details did not sit well with the public and netizens "praised" the project developed by Musk and his The Boring Company.
Many users said that the cars went too slow.
Others said that the loop transit is unpractical and unsafe.
Many users joked that the tech maverick simply redesigned traditional means of transport.
But there were some who were impressed by the project and defended Musk.
The construction of the transit loop took two years and it cost approximately $47 million. According to Steve Hill, chief executive of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority said: "The system operates like a taxi app. A person enters a station and calls a Tesla, which then takes the individual to his or her choice of destination. The transit loop is designed to transport 4,400 people an hour with 62 cars." Hill added that soon cars will be autonomous.
The Boring Company is working on several other projects: the Vegas Loop in Las Vegas, a 15-mile underground system, will provide fast transport to the city’s key destinations, including McCarran International airport, downtown, Las Vegas Raiders' Allegiant stadium and other attractions. The company said the tunnel will eventually connect the city to Los Angeles.
Another project developed by The Boring Company is Hyperloop, which will see passengers travelling in autonomous electric pods at ultra-high speed (760 miles per hour (1,200kph). The company said the project will drastically reduce travel time. A Hyperloop trip from Washington DC to New York would take less than 30 minutes (right now it’s one hour and 15 minutes by plane).