News
Boring Co. gets go-ahead for tunnel expansion to Encore at Wynn Las Vegas
The Boring Company has received an approval for a License and Maintenance Agreement from Clark County, Nevada Officials to expand its Vegas Loop to the Encore at Wynn Las Vegas. The expansion was green-lit by Officials on December 1 and will operate at the right-of-way-on East Desert Inn and Paradise Road in Las Vegas.
The intersection of E. Desert and Paradise is also the intersection of two main points of interest that are related to the Boring Company project. At the intersection, the Las Vegas Convention Center and the LVCC Monorail Station are both located. The currently dug-out tunnel is located at the LVCC, and the LVCVA, who operates the LVCC, recently purchased the rights to the Las Vegas Monorail, giving the Boring Company more leeway in where it can establish future locations for tunnels.
Another step in the Las #Vegas people mover project. Commissioners just approved a license & maintenance agreement for @boringcompany to use part of the right-of-way on Desert Inn & Paradise to build & operate tunnels connecting the Las Vegas Convention Ctr. to @EncoreLasVegas. pic.twitter.com/WykHpRHUNe
— Clark County Nevada (@ClarkCountyNV) December 1, 2020
The area of the intersection would be a great way to transport visitors from their hotels to resorts and clubs on the Strip. The intersection is located just East of the Strip and is surrounded by several chain hotels such as Residence Inn by Marriot, Courtyard by Marriot, and an Embassy Suites by Hilton.
These lodging choices provide places to sleep and perhaps some food options, but nothing compared to what is available on the Strip. The Encore at Wynn is located on the North end of the Strip and is surrounded by the Venetian, Treasure Island, the Mirage, Harrah’s, and Caesar’s Palace. All of these options provide entertainment and nightlife, as well as various dining options that will provide visitors with a full experience of what Las Vegas has to offer.
The intersection of Paradise and Desert Inn is relatively close to the Wynn, but it would require some form of transportation. This is where the Boring Co. expansion comes in. (Credit: Google Maps)
The underground tunnel that the Boring Company will eventually dig out on this route will provide a reasonable and fast mode of transportation from off-strip lodging options to the heart of the city. Inversely, traveling from the Wynn to the Convention Center will take only a few moments, so if there is an event that is being held at the LVCC, there will be quick and reliable transportation options that will move people from location to location with relative ease.
- Credit: Clark County, Nevada
- Credit: Clark County, Nevada
The Encore at Wynn becomes the second resort to be approved for the Boring Co.’s expansion of the Vegas Loop, the first being another Wynn-owned property of Resorts World.
The Boring Company expansion is far from over, though. Eventually, Elon Musk’s traffic solution company plans to have stops at nearly every major point of interest in Las Vegas, with approval for all of the locations needed. It will undoubtedly take some time to put together, but the new mode of people-moving in Las Vegas has some life, and resorts are beginning to recognize the significance of the Boring Co.’s plans. New transportation is needed in Las Vegas, and smaller, more personalized vehicles may be a great way to make public transport more appealing and could be a solution to traveling after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Energy
Tesla launches Powerwall Lease for affordable home backup
Tesla Energy has introduced the Powerwall Lease in conjunction with Tesla Electric, making the service available in Texas. This new option delivers whole-home backup power using two Powerwall units for a net monthly cost of $35 after credits, accompanied by a low fixed electricity rate.
Under the lease terms, customers pay a one-time order fee of $100. The base lease payment for the two Powerwalls is approximately $122 per month during the first year, subject to a 3 percent annual escalator thereafter. Enrollment in a qualifying Tesla Electric Backup plan or Virtual Power Plant plan provides an $87 monthly credit.
Powerwall Lease is now available with Tesla Electric in Texas
Whole-home backup for $35/month, with a low fixed electricity rate
– Two Powerwalls, $0 installation
– Storm Watch outage protection
– One app to manage it all pic.twitter.com/oTzqc6K3aF— Tesla Energy (@teslaenergy) August 13, 2026
This credit lowers the effective cost to roughly $35 per month plus applicable tax.
Installation of the standard system carries no additional charge. The package features Storm Watch for outage protection and allows complete management through a single Tesla application. The system supplies continuous whole-home backup capability.
The Powerwall system enables households to maintain electricity during severe storms that disrupt the utility grid. When outages occur, the batteries automatically provide seamless backup power to the home.
Tesla announces 100k Powerwalls are participating in Virtual Power Plants
Tesla Storm Watch monitors weather forecasts and ensures the units are fully charged ahead of anticipated severe weather events so that power remains available throughout the disruption, keeping lights, refrigeration, and other essential systems operating without interruption.
Availability is restricted to select Texas locations where retail electric choice exists. Participants must lease exactly two Powerwall units and maintain continuous enrollment with Tesla Electric. Solar panels cannot be included under this particular lease arrangement.
The monthly credit activates automatically once the system is installed, receives permission to operate, and enrollment is confirmed. To retain the credit, customers are required to stay enrolled in Tesla Electric and fulfill all program conditions.
Nonstandard installations that involve electrical upgrades or special permitting may lead to extra expenses and might impact eligibility for the credit, so be sure to check with either your installer or Tesla to ensure you will still qualify.
News
Elon Musk teases Tesla Roadster unveiling once again
Elon Musk continues to tease the unveiling event for the Tesla Roadster, a continuing trend that has grown into a bigger game of “When” for fans who have been waiting years for the car to finally enter production.
A video shared on X of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast that Musk appeared on last year, teasing the Roadster unveiling, was shared once again on the social media platform. The poster said the Roadster event will be “unforgettable.”
Musk agreed:
Yes
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 12, 2026
The timing is interesting because just yesterday, Musk said that we will be getting flying cars, and for years, Tesla has hinted that it could develop a SpaceX cold gas thruster package that would help the car float or fly for a short period of time.
It would be reasonable to assume Tesla’s major delays with this unveiling event are likely caused by the company’s need to break the rules and push the envelope on nearly everything. Last July, Lars Moravy, Tesla’s VP of Vehicle Engineering, said:
“Roadster is definitely in development. We did talk about it last Sunday night. We are gearing up for a super cool demo. It’s going to be mind blowing. We showed Elon some cool demos last week of the tech we’ve been working on and he got a little excited.”
The latest updates that Tesla has given us are that the Roadster is in design development, and it did have several potential dates for an unveiling event this year, including April. It was then pushed to August.
However, there are no clues as to when Tesla will be ready, and fans are certainly getting frustrated with the delays.
For what it is worth, Franz von Holzhausen told Jay Leno this week that the event would be “very soon.”
We sure hope.
Lifestyle
Tesla’s driverless Cybercab just passed a big test with State Governor
Florida’s governor rode Tesla’s Cybercab at a closed test track and called the experience impressive.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis rode in a Tesla Cybercab on a closed test track this week and came away impressed, posting on X that the vehicle “successfully navigated all hazards — a kid running into the street, a crash with police stopping traffic, a Model S cutting us off, etc.” He called the ride “impressive.”
The stop was part of a broader event Monday at SunTrax, a 775 acre state owned proving ground in Auburndale that Florida built specifically to test autonomous and connected vehicles before they reach public roads. Standing next to a gold Cybercab, DeSantis described the car in plain terms: “You go in there and you just sit. You have a screen. There’s no steering wheel, no pedals. Clearly these things could be very beneficial.”
We took a ride on a robotaxi on the Suntrax course and it successfully navigated all hazards — a kid running into the street, a crash with police stopping traffic, a Model S cutting us off, etc.
Impressive! https://t.co/FVAkzFLz3r
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) August 11, 2026
DeSantis paired the praise with a caveat that has followed autonomous vehicles since the category existed. “You don’t want to be in an autonomous vehicle and it drives you into a ditch. That would not be good,” he said, framing safety validation as the gate before wider deployment.
SunTrax, the 2.25 mile oval which the state calls the only high speed autonomous vehicle test track in the Southeast, can simulate rain, pedestrian crossings, hills and crowded urban conditions at highway speeds, letting companies push a car past what an early public rollout would risk. Tesla, Waymo and Beep all use the facility, and Florida’s regulatory approach, among the most permissive for autonomous vehicles in the country, doesn’t require a human operator inside a fully autonomous car.
Tesla has reason to want the blessing of Florida and states beyond, as the Cybercab entered volume production at Gigafactory Texas this spring and has since self certified as SAE Level 4 under Texas law. Public road testing so far has kept a safety monitor in the passenger seat, and Florida is where Tesla has been expanding its existing Model Y based Robotaxi service instead, adding Miami in July and then Orlando and Tampa two weeks later. A closed track endorsement from a sitting governor doesn’t change any of that, but it does put Tesla’s newest hardware in front of a state that has already shown it will move fast on rules.


