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First videos of The Boring Company’s working LVCC Loop in action emerge

Credit: CNBC Television/YouTube

Published

5 years ago

on

The Boring Company’s Las Vegas Convention Center Loop is now complete, and the first batch of videos of the low-cost underground transport system in action have been shared online. The videos, while brief, provide a glimpse at the potential of Elon Musk’s tunneling startup, which was created as a means to battle “soul-crushing” traffic aboveground. 

The LVCC Loop serves as a good proof-of-concept for the tunneling startup, considering that the tunnels are relatively short and easy to complete. The Boring Company was able to finish and set up the Tesla-based underground transport system in less than two years, and this was despite the onset of the pandemic last year. 

So far, the LVCC Loop is capable of handling 4,400 people an hour with 62 Teslas, all of which are still operating with a human driver to maximize safety. Eventually, however, the LVCC Loop would employ autonomous Teslas and likely operate faster than the system’s current 35 mph speeds. This should allow the LVCC Loop to handle significantly more passengers per hour. 

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https://twitter.com/jgillanNews3LV/status/1380335343229001738?s=20

In an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, remarked that the LVCC Loop would eventually be using higher-capacity vehicles. Hill hinted at 16-passenger units that would eventually be rolled out for public use, though he did not disclose when the vehicles would be delivered and deployed. “It seems that during a pandemic is not the time to be increasing capacity,” he said. 

The LVCC Loop currently features three stations, one near the entrance of the Las Vegas Convention Center’s Central Hall and two other aboveground stations at the two ends of the Loop. Paved ramps are in place for the Teslas to climb to the surface for aboveground loading on the Loop’s east and west sides. Details about how the system would accommodate large numbers of passengers have not been shared, though Hill mentioned that the system would use an app that would allow visitors to hail a Tesla. 

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The LVCC Loop cost about $52.5 million to complete, making it relatively affordable. During the bidding process for the project, The Boring Company’s Loop system proved far cheaper than an aboveground transit system proposed by Austria-based Doppelmayr Garaventa Group, which was initially estimated to cost $215 million to complete. Despite Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority board member Carolyn Goodman arguing that Doppelmayr’s aboveground transit system could be brought down to $85 million, The Boring Company’s LVCC Loop was still 39% cheaper. 

Watch a feature on the LVCC Loop in the video below. 

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Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Tesla gamifies Supercharging with new ‘Charging Passport’

It will also include things like badges for special charging spots, among other metrics that will show all of the different places people have traveled to plug in for range.

Published

6 hours ago

on

December 8, 2025

By

Credit: MarcoRP | X

Tesla is gamifying its Supercharging experience by offering a new “Charging Passport,” hoping to add a new layer to the ownership experience.

While it is not part of the Holiday Update, it is rolling out around the same time and offers a handful of cool new features.

Tesla’s Charging Passport will be available within the smartphone app and will give a yearly summary of your charging experience, helping encapsulate your travel for that year.

It will also include things like badges for special charging spots, among other metrics that will show all of the different places people have traveled to plug in for range.

Tesla will include the following metrics within the new Charging Passport option within the Tesla app:

  • Charging badges: Iconic charging badges for visiting places like the Tesla Diner, Oasis Supercharger, etc., Explorer Badge, and more
  • Total Unique Superchargers Visited
  • Total Charging Sessions
  • Total Miles Added during Charging Sessions
  • Top Charging Day
  • Longest Trip
  • Favorite Charging Locations

This will give people a unique way to see their travels throughout the year, and although it is not necessarily something that is needed or adds any genuine value, it is something that many owners will like to look back on. After all, things like Spotify Wrapped and Apple Music Replay have been a great way for people to see what music they listened to throughout the year.

This is essentially Tesla’s version of that.

With a handful of unique Superchargers already active, Tesla is also building some new ones, like a UFO-inspired location in New Mexico, near Roswell.

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Tesla is building a new UFO-inspired Supercharger in the heart of Alien country

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Tesla launches its coolest gift idea ever just a few weeks after it was announced

“Gift one month of Full Self-Driving (Supervised), which allows the vehicle to drive itself almost anywhere with minimal intervention.”

Published

8 hours ago

on

December 8, 2025

By

Credit: Tesla

Tesla has launched its coolest gift idea ever, just a few weeks after it was announced.

Tesla is now giving owners the opportunity to gift Full Self-Driving for one month to friends or family through a new gifting program that was suggested to the company last month.

The program will enable people to send a fellow Tesla owner one month of the company’s semi-autonomous driving software, helping them to experience the Full Self-Driving suite and potentially help Tesla gain them as a subscriber of the program, or even an outright purchase.

Tesla has officially launched the program on its Shop. Sending one month of Full Self-Driving costs $112:

“Gift one month of Full Self-Driving (Supervised), which allows the vehicle to drive itself almost anywhere with minimal intervention. All sales are final. Can only be purchased and redeemed in the U.S. This gift card is valued at $112.00 and is intended to cover the price of one month of FSD (Supervised), including up to 13% sales tax. It is not guaranteed to cover the full monthly price if pricing or tax rates change. This gift card can be stored in Tesla Wallet and redeemed toward FSD (Supervised) or any other Tesla product or service that accepts gift card payments.”

Tesla has done a great job of expanding Full Self-Driving access over the past few years, especially by offering things like the Subscription program, free trials through referrals, and now this gift card program.

Gifting Full Self-Driving is another iteration of Tesla’s “butts in seats” strategy, which is its belief that it can flip consumers to its vehicles and products by simply letting people experience them.

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There is also a reason behind pushing Full Self-Driving so hard, and it has to do with CEO Elon Musk’s compensation package. One tranche requires Musk to achieve a certain number of active paid Full Self-Driving subscriptions.

More people who try the suite are likely to pay for it over the long term.

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Tesla expands Robotaxi app access once again, this time on a global scale

Tesla said recently it plans to launch Robotaxi in Miami, Houston, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Dallas.

Published

9 hours ago

on

December 8, 2025

By

Credit: Grok

Tesla has expanded Robotaxi app access once again, but this time, it’s on a much broader scale as the company is offering the opportunity for those outside of North America to download the app.

Tesla Robotaxi is the company’s early-stage ride-hailing platform that is active in Texas, California, and Arizona, with more expansion within the United States planned for the near future.

Tesla said recently it plans to launch Robotaxi in Miami, Houston, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Dallas.

The platform has massive potential, and Tesla is leaning on it to be a major contributor to even more disruption in the passenger transportation industry. So far, it has driven over 550,000 miles in total, with the vast majority of this coming from the Bay Area and Austin.

First Look at Tesla’s Robotaxi App: features, design, and more

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However, Tesla is focusing primarily on rapid expansion, but most of this is reliant on the company’s ability to gain regulatory permission to operate the platform in various regions. The expansion plans go well outside of the U.S., as the company expanded the ability to download the app to more regions this past weekend.

So far, these are the areas it is available to download in:

  • Japan
  • Thailand
  • Hong Kong
  • South Korea
  • Australia
  • Taiwan
  • Macau
  • New Zealand
  • Mexico
  • U.S.
  • Canada

Right now, while Tesla is focusing primarily on expansion, it is also working on other goals that have to do with making it more widely available to customers who want to grab a ride from a driverless vehicle.

One of the biggest goals it has is to eliminate safety monitors from its vehicles, which it currently utilizes in Austin in the passenger’s seat and in the driver’s seat in the Bay Area.

A few weeks ago, Tesla started implementing a new in-cabin data-sharing system, which will help support teams assist riders without anyone in the front of the car.

Tesla takes a step towards removal of Robotaxi service’s safety drivers

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As Robotaxi expands into more regions, Tesla stands to gain tremendously through the deployment of the Full Self-Driving suite for personal cars, as well as driverless Robotaxis for those who are just hailing rides.

Things have gone well for Tesla in the early stages of the Robotaxi program, but expansion will truly be the test of how things operate going forward. Navigating local traffic laws and gaining approval from a regulatory standpoint will be the biggest hurdle to jump.

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