Elon Musk releases plans for tunnel transportation system: Long Beach to Valley at 125 mph

[Zorro]

Detailed engineering plans were released Friday that inject a dose of reality into Elon Musk’s futuristic, but heretofore vague vision of a new “express” high-speed underground public-transportation system that could rival LA Metro’s light rails.

The three-dimensional tunnel network, called Loop, would run from Long Beach Airport to Sherman Oaks, parallel to the 405 Freeway. Short complementary routes from Los Angeles International Airport to Dodger Stadium, and out to the beaches in Santa Monica and the South Bay beach cities, also are in the plans.

Passengers would speed through the all-electric system inside rectangular pods attached to autonomous skates that are affixed to a track more than 30 feet below ground. Musk’s Boring Co., which already is digging a tunnel beneath Hawthorne streets adjacent to the tech titan’s SpaceX headquarters, is currently seeking permits from the city of Los Angeles to extend the tunnel to the San Fernando Valley.

At the heart of the system are electric-powered skates.

http://www.dailybreeze.com/2017/12/01/elon-musk-releases-plans-for-tunnel-transportation-system-long-beach-to-valley-at-125-mph/

[PoliticAverse]

1. Rube Goldberg would agree that having plans injects "a dose of reality"...

[Cicada]

2. Why would anyone want to go to Long Beach or the Valley?

[jmowreader]

3. Arent all subways all-electric?

Let’s see if I can translate this.

Musk is running a hybrid manufacturing company and ponzi scheme. It’s not a pure ponzi because there are products, but he hasn’t had a profitable quarter the entire time he’s been in business.

Right now things are going bad for Musk, as witnessed by their abysmal Model 3 production rate. (In essence, he could have bought an empty warehouse, put 100 four-man teams equipped with air tools and welders and made more cars by hand than they did on the production line they built...and I’m a little surprised he didn’t.) So, to get enough additional investment to keep him going through the quarter, he announces things like his impractical truck and his microsubway.

[marble falls]

5. The problems with Mdl 3 had to do with changing body panels from aluminum to steel...

that can be worked out, its nothing experimental or rocket science. His successful products are well built and popular.

[jmowreader]

6. Really?

I found this, which backs up what you're saying...

http://www.carbuzz.com/news/2017/10/17/This-Is-Probably-What-s-Causing-Tesla-Model-3-Production-Problems-7741548/

Here's the problem with that theory: you can either hand-weld or robot-weld. Handwork first: There are a LOT of very good weldors out there...the Bay Area has no shortage of sheet metal weldors. If he wanted aerospace-certified weldors, there are plenty in places like Seattle and Atlanta. He could have even imported race car fabricators from Charlotte. And if he wanted to go straight to robotic welding, which they're going to have to do to get the production rate high enough, either Fanuc or ABB will sell you preconfigured arc welding robots, set them where you need them and do all the programming on them.

Two other theories I've heard are kind of interesting: The battery modules are apparently a huge issue. The M3 battery pack is four "modules" that are placed in a carrier and interconnected - which makes sense; if one of them goes dead they can just pull the pack out, swap the dead one for a new one, and have you back on the road for a more-reasonable price than buying an entire pack at once. They are having a hell of a time making the modules. And rework is a big problem.

But the thing is, Tesla has been working on this car for several years. There is no reason on earth why they waited until they started producing cars for sale before they found out no one at Tesla knows how to weld.

[snowybirdie]

4. Sounds like a child

making up wonderful, tremendous fantastic stuff! Why is he given any attention? How about a road system without potholes or better schools and water systems?