Elon Musk posts new videos of his underground tunnel project for LA

When Space X founder Elon Musk introduced his plan to build a network of underground traffic tunnels in Los Angeles at a TED conference two weeks ago, he prefaced the news by saying he was only devoting 2-3 percent of his energy to the project.

As it turns out, 2-3 percent of Musk’s energy can get a lot done.

Today, The Verge noticed Musk’s Instagram has lit up with updates on his underground traffic tunnel project. (The Verge described some of the footage as nauseating.)

Perhaps the most compelling is this first person view of a ride aboard one of the sleds that would carry cars throughout the underground tunnels at speeds of up to 125 miles per hour. Be warned, the video comes complete with a motion sickness warning, so if pulsing lights aren’t your thing, maybe stick to surface streets.

In less nauseating imagery, Musk also treats us to views of The Boring Company’s first tunnel.

From these humble beginnings in Hawthorne, Musk promises the tunnel will eventually run from LAX to Culver City, Santa Monica, Westwood, and Sherman Oaks, with a trip from Westwood to LAX taking just 5 minutes via a tunnel sled.

As The Verge points out, it’s unclear if Musk has government approval for these tunnels.

There are also some updates on one less sexy, but still important aspect of this whole project-boosting tunnel drilling efficiency. Meet Godot, The Boring Company’s tunnel boring drill that Musk wants to make work 10 times faster than current tunnel drilling machinery:

When fully assembled, Godot’s digging prowess will be pitted in a John Henry style battle against Musk’s pet snail Gary. It is Gary’s natural digging ability that is helping drive Musk’s desire to build a more efficient drill, as he told audiences at the TED Conference.

“We have a pet snail named Gary. Gary is capable of currently going 14 times faster than a tunnel boring machine. We want to beat Gary. He’s not a patient little fellow, that will be victory. Victory will be beating the snail.”

• Elon Musk’s new video of his underground tunnel project will make you nauseated [The Verge]
• Elon Musk unveils more details on his tunnel solution for LA traffic [Curbed LA]
• Elon Musk's tunnel plan is surprisingly outdated—and bad [Curbed]