The Boring Company FAQ

I'm more interested in the nuances of tunneling, like how they'll handle water seepage and flooding. Flooding is actually a huge problem with climate change causing larger and more frequent major weather events.

After Hurricane Sandy, it took almost a week to reopen the subway tunnels.

I can just imagine the kind of kinetic force that'll occur if a sled carrying a car slams into a section that has a few feet of water.

Airflow and humidity are other concerns. Airflow is necessary to keep passengers safe. Controlling humidity is important for keeping the infrastructure from degrading more quickly.

Any good paints or fabrics or metamaterials that could be used as a tunnel liner that only allow water to wick in one direction (from tunnel internals to surrounding soil)?

>To solve the problem of soul-destroying traffic, roads must go 3D

There are other methods. Public transport on trains of course or more high tech maybe semi self driving cars platooning ( http://www.tech-faq.com/vehicle-platooning.html ) which could almost be done with present tech.

But there is still a last mile problem, you have to enter and exit out of the tunnels. That's the last mile. Or do you suggest that tunnel building will become so viable from an economic and engineering standpoint that everyone will have an entry point in their garage?

> This freedom-supporting tech also thwarts the tyranny inherent in public transit (schedules, robbing your life with all the waiting, limited load carrying capacity, forced interactions with antisocial individuals, etc.)

Funny you don't mention the tyranny inherent in single-occupancy vehicles: Robbing your life having to find parking. Paying to park your car (if you live or work downtown). The antisocialness of sitting in your car for 1-2 hours a day with just NPR as your only friend. The inherent inflexibility of SOV travel, where your car carries just 20% of the designed capacity most of the time. And finally, the infrastructure that has to be built to support cars, driverless or not, zipping around everywhere, making it harder to walk or bike to where you want to go.

In the future I assume Tesla, Space X, Boring Co, etc will all become Mars Corp.

He's said again and again his true goal is to colonize Mars and everything until then is to get to that goal.

What happens when he does get there? Can be claim it? Become President? Or an area of it?

It troubles me that my mind keeps interpreting "boring" as an adjective and not as a verb every time news about this company pop out...

Leaving that aside, I believe the logistics about getting the cars on and off board of the electric sled will (in most scenarios) defeat the gains on speed once the cars are inside the tunnel.

For public transportation it may be a good idea, IF they are able to deliver all those technological breakthroughs...

Also, is 14 feet small enough for some people to get claustrophobic feelings?