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The Boring Company [video]

boringcompany.com

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Re: The Boring Company [video]

#91

Post by hoprocker »

orf wrote: post #69

How about... mass transit. You know, not needing to dig giant big tunnels and build the infrastructure to ferry individual people in huge cars around underground, because the roads are too congested with individual people in huge cars. Dig big tunnels to ferry trains with people underground. Works pretty well.

This is the thing. Why on earth would you build this insane network to ferry one person in their car, the displacement of which could probably move 8 people using the same footprint. I think they throw that idea a laurel at the end, where a more people-pod-like vehicle is getting lowered in the same manner.

Re: The Boring Company [video]

#92

Post by astrodust »

pmtarantino wrote: post #31
OrwellianChild wrote: post #27

Don't fully get the benefit of moving cars on rails vs. moving cars on wheels... Higher fixed costs to power the rail vs. just letting cars auto-drive with internal propulsion. What am I missing?

I suppose you can't control (or detect?) if the car fails, and if that is the case, the whole system would be screwed.

These platforms will have to strap the car down somehow to prevent someone from driving off the platform while it's operating.

A crash at that speed would wreck that tunnel and put it out of service for weeks.

Re: The Boring Company [video]

#93

Post by TillE »

goodcanadian wrote: post #42
OrwellianChild wrote: post #27

Don't fully get the benefit of moving cars on rails vs. moving cars on wheels... Higher fixed costs to power the rail vs. just letting cars auto-drive with internal propulsion. What am I missing?

Or how about moving trains on rails? I am of two minds about self driving cars. From a technology point of view, I think its great, but I don't really see what problem they solve that would not be better solved by ubiquitous public transportation (trains, mostly). Now, Musk wants to carry cars on sleds through tunnels under LA? Why not just build some damn trains? EDIT: the real news is that he wants to improve borin…

Shared self-driving cars would essentially be an ultra-efficient bus service. Instead of huge (often half-empty) vehicles driving set routes, you have small custom electric vehicles (remember, the interior could be anything) going exactly where they're required.

Keep the trains, but replace buses, taxis, and probably quite a lot of private cars with an automated fleet. It would be a huge change, a huge improvement in many lives.

Re: The Boring Company [video]

#97

Post by Someone »

I would think that elevator has less capacity than a tunnel entry would have. The video compensates for that by having multiple such elevators, closely spaced, that presumable share an on-ramp. I'm not convinced that gives you enough capacity, because each car being lowered on that on-ramp blocks traffic for quite a while.

Also, entering this system leaves a big hole in the street where the carriage was. Before another car can enter, a new carriage must be brought up from below. That decreases capacity even further, except for the ideal situation where that carriage always carries a car. In the less than ideal sitautin, there's the added problem of getting that replacement carriage in place at just the right time (for example, at the end of the day in a business district)

Re: The Boring Company [video]

#98

Post by throwaway2016a »

astrodust wrote: post #68
throwaway2016a wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> unless there are serious advances in rock boring techniques I'm pretty sure Elon Musk doesn't enter a market unless he intends to do just that. Edit: I got downvoted a bit but it is his MO. He takes things that are expensive and makes them cheaper. For what it's worth though, I do think the tunnels in that video are ridiculous.

And concrete production? And underground hazard detection? And coordination with city infrastructure? And...

You could change...

> And concrete production? And underground hazard detection? And coordination with city infrastructure? And...

to...

> And battery production, and driving hazard detection, and coordinating with the FAA and NASA, and rockets, and...

It's not guaranteed success (not even remotely) but if I had to bet on anyone...

You act like Musk does all the work himself. If he wanted to he could hire the best and brightest in each of those areas and they can work in parallel.

I don't even know if the guy is a good engineer. But I'm pretty sure to have the success he has had he knows how to inspire them.

Re: The Boring Company [video]

#100

Post by differentView »

chrisper wrote: post #63
ythn wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Someone needs to edit the video so you see a pedestrian falling down the shaft and breaking their neck

Might as well add Judge Judy and a scene in court when the lawsuit happens.

The amount would be way over Judge Judy's limit.
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