Elon Musk just can’t seem to let go of this one long-stalled idea where people would commute across cities through superfast tubes known as hyperloops. So far, zero hyperloops have been built, and yet, we now have a new pitch coming in from him: A route running between Austin and San Antonio, Texas. Musk says The Boring Company is already working on a “simple, precursor Hyperloop tunnel” linking the two Texas cities. In a post on X, he also claimed that vehicles inside the tunnel would travel at more than 200 mph.
The whole point with these tunnels is to turn painfully lengthy drives between cities into a problem of the past. Musk says that traffic currently can stretch the trip between the cities out to 2.5 hours – a ridiculous time for an 80-mile trip. However, his tunnel would turn the commute into a sub-30-minute stretch.
Beyond this math, Musk hasn’t shared the exact route or when the tunnel will be built. The cost of construction and exactly what would ride through the tunnel isn’t known either. Musk’s original hyperloop concept from 2013 had passenger pods zipping through low-pressure tubes, though it’s unclear if that plan still holds up today. If pods are out of the question, then they could also just carry regular electric cars that drive a lot faster. Following Musk’s post, The Boring Company chimed in as well, though it didn’t clear up the uncertainty. Instead, the account simply replied that the company “would be excited and honored” to build it.
Musk’s tunnel pitches don’t have a great track record
Unfortunately, that excitement is yet to reach local officials. Jori Liu, director of communications for the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority in the Austin area, told the Austin American-Statesman that the agency only learned about the plan from Musk’s post. It’s the same story in San Antonio, where a spokesperson for Bexar County said the county is yet to hear from The Boring Company…