Making Traffic a Thing of the Past
Elon Musk’s ambitions are as big as his personality, and his latest venture—the boring company—is no exception. With the Las Vegas tunnels now serving as a testing ground for Tesla’s much-hyped self-driving capabilities, we’re all waiting with bated breath to see if this techno-dream becomes a reality. Although the Las Vegas Convention Center reports that we are still “ways off” from fully autonomous taxis zooming through these subterranean passages, the future looks bright (and speedy).
The Loop: A Short Journey with a Long Way to Go
So, what’s been happening in this ride under the neon lights? Since 2021, the LVCC Loop has been operating with Tesla vehicles driven by actual humans. Yes, the irony is not lost on us: we are in tunnels meant for automated driving, yet we still rely on the age-old art of spontaneous human combustion (also known as human driving). The Boring Company, founded by our favorite tech mogul, aims to alleviate traffic congestion—let’s hope they find a way to do more than just “measure” it with human drivers taking folks from point A to B in less-than-stellar fashion.
Will the Robots Take Over?
What’s even more fascinating is that tests for self-driving features have begun recently. Steve Hill, the CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, noted the company is in the early days of incorporating autonomy into the loop. The idea of navigating single-lane tunnels is attractive to techies everywhere—after all, who wouldn’t want to zip around without fighting for road space with a dodgeball team of distracted drivers? As exciting as a futuristic fleet of robotaxis sounds, predicting when these self-driving Teslas will be navigating the underground labyrinth is much like predicting the next season of your favorite show: uncertain at best!
