Elon Musk wants to put tunnels under LA – but they might not fit his Tesla

Musk launched the Boring Company to tackle LA's hellish traffic - but to make the digging affordable, the tunnels will have to get smaller

In December 2016, Elon Musk was stuck in Los Angeles's infamous traffic again, likely in his personal Tesla Model S. "Traffic is driving me nuts," he tweeted. "Am going to build a tunnel boring machine and just start digging."

Musk was true to his word, and quickly formed the Boring Company, buying an old tunnel boring machine (TBM) and excavating at his SpaceX factory. The Boring Company now wants to build a longer "proof of process" tunnel 2.7 miles beneath LA. This could form the backbone of a larger transportation network across the city, called Loop, with electric "skates" whisking people, bikes and cars from station to station at speeds of up to 150mph.