Key facts
- Elon Musk announced The Boring Company is developing a "simple precursor Hyperloop" between Austin and San Antonio.
- The proposed route aims to cut travel time to less than 30 minutes.
- The Boring Company has expressed interest in undertaking the project.
- The company recently completed a $3 billion funding round led by the UAE.
- The Boring Company operates a transportation system in Las Vegas.
Elon Musk recently stated that his tunneling startup, The Boring Company, is developing a "simple precursor Hyperloop" designed to connect Austin and San Antonio, Texas, reducing the journey between the two cities to under 30 minutes.
The Boring Company's official account shared Musk's statement, indicating their eagerness to undertake the "massive infrastructure project."
While many of The Boring Company's previously announced projects, such as tunnel systems in Chicago, Los Angeles, and between New York City and Washington D.C., have not come to fruition, the company does operate a transportation system in Las Vegas that combines tunnels and surface routes. The company recently secured $3 billion in a funding round led by the United Arab Emirates.
Musk's comments regarding the Austin-San Antonio Hyperloop were made in response to an AI-generated video depicting a futuristic vision of human colonies on other planets. Musk re-posted the video with the declaration, "This is the future we shall bring into being."
Critics of Musk have suggested his future visions are inspired by pulp science fiction, with historian Jill Lepore noting that he appears to favor sci-fi that "completely defeats and defies all of his political beliefs."