Boring Company unveils first high-speed tunnel

Elon Musk's Boring Company has unveiled a prototype underground tunnel in Los Angeles that will one day transport high-speed pure-electric vehicles around the city.

Created to ease the North American city's chronic traffic congestion, the Boring Company's first tunnel measures just 1.8km long and runs beneath the municipality of Hawthorne, where the Boring Company and the Musk-owned SpaceX are located.

Claimed to be capable of carrying modified pure-electric vehicles, or passenger-carrying pods, at speeds of up to 240km/h, the prototype tunnel is said to have been built using state-of-the-art tunnelling and engineering techniques.

Yesterday, the Boring Company carried out its first demonstrations for journalists using modified Tesla Model X SUVs but, instead of reaching the maximum 240km/h cruising speed, the assembled hacks were shuttled at a more sedate top speed of 55km/h.

Despite the low speeds, there was plenty of criticism of the traffic-busting tunnels, with many journos complaining of a bumpy ride -- something Musk has vowed to improve with new machinery for the finished tunnels.

In the future, the outspoken and sometimes erratic CEO of Tesla and SpaceX claims the modified EVs will be lowered into the tunnels using lifts and then slotted into tracks on the "Loop".

Boosting stability at high speeds, the modified vehicles lower deployable tracking wheels that lock-in to the track securely and allow the high speeds in the narrow tunnels.

Like a highway, when you near your destination the vehicle will exit the main Loop using an off ramp.

Crucially, the system has been designed so the main track is never slowed, enabling vehicles to maintain its high 240km/h cruising speed.

Musk says the attachment system will be sold for $200-$300 ($A280-$A420) and will be able to be fitted to any fully autonomous vehicle for use in the tunnel.

Despite the initial tests, neither the Boring Company or Musk have revealed any of the technology that will allow the pods, or modified electric vehicles, to travel at such high speeds.

Instead, the Boring Company was keener to point out that the first 1.8km length of track was completed for just $US10 million ($A14m) -- a fraction of the $US1 billion ($A1.4b) it would usually cost to tunnel the same distance using traditional equipment.

As well as being cheaper, at the launch Musk claimed that he expected a 15-fold improvement in tunnelling speeds as the Boring Company's digging machines are upgraded.

Recently, Musk's tunnel plans hit a considerable setback when another tunnel, that was set to be built within the LA city limits, had to be scrapped following a lawsuit from neighbourhood groups.

The Boring Company is now said to be focusing it attention on a new tunnel that will travel from Los Feliz in East Hollywood or Rampart Village neighbourhoods to the Dodger Stadium.

Once complete, the company is reportedly planning to continue to expand the tunnel network throughout Los Angeles.

The new Loop demonstrated in LA is not to be confused with the far-faster Hyperloop that the Boring Company is also developing. According to the company it will one day shuttle passengers in small capsules in a vacuum tube from New York City to Washington -- a total distance of more than 350km -- in just 29 minutes.

Originally, Musk claimed the Boring Company that built the tunnel was a hobby business that started as a joke. The same Boring Company earlier this year launched a flamethrower.

It's not yet clear when Musk plans to run full high-speed testing of the new Loop, nor when the network of tunnels will be ready for public use.