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The Boring Company’s garage-elevator site shows flurry of activity ahead of Dec 10 public showing

[Credit: Pauline Acalin/Teslarati]

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7 years ago

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Less than a week after Elon Musk announced that The Boring Company would be holding a public showing of its Hawthorne tunnel system on December 10, the tunneling startup’s site for its garage-elevator has started exhibiting a flurry of activity. As revealed in recent photographs of the site, The Boring Company appears to be expediting the construction of the O’Leary Station.

Recent social media uploads from The Boring Company’s official Twitter account have teased a shaft that’s being constructed on a private lot at 120th Street and Prairie Avenue, located roughly at the halfway point of the company’s 2-mile Hawthorne test tunnel. The site, which the startup dubbed as the O’Leary Station after 13-year SpaceX veteran Patrick O’Leary, appears to be part of a proof-of-concept for a tunnel design that links directly to a residential garage.

Teslarati photographer Pauline Acalin recently captured photographs of the work currently being done at the garage-elevator’s site. Compared to the first images that Teslarati photographers were able to capture earlier this month, the new set of photos show that the Prairie Ave location has been filled with more materials for the garage-elevator’s construction. A crew of workers was also busy working on the site during the time the photographs were taken. In what could be yet another teaser for an upcoming Elon Musk project, one of the workers in the site was wearing a shirt with the words “The Brick Company,” written in the same font as The Boring Company’s logo.

The Boring Company’s site for its prototype garage-elevator shows activity. [Credit: Pauline Acalin/Teslarati]

These latest images provide the closest look yet at the Boring Company’s garage-elevator concept, particularly the size of the excavation, which definitely seems designed to fit even large vehicles like trucks and full-sized SUVs. Large conventional car elevators are usually around 20 feet at their longest, but if these latest images are any indication, the diameter of the Boring Company’s garage elevator seems to be far beyond 20 feet.

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In a rather clever fashion, the Boring Company’s garage elevator concept would likely serve as a point of access for tunnel maintenance, as well as an exit point for the removal of tunnel boring machine (TBM) segments. The retrieval of TBM segments defies conventional tunneling practices, since components such as TBM cutting heads are usually left underground due to the costs associated with their retrieval.

An approval for the construction of the garage-elevator concept was granted by the city council of Hawthrone last September. The design of the garage-elevator is quite straightforward. Vehicles would enter a tunnel from the SpaceX campus itself, move through a tunnel system, onto the prototype garage-elevator, and travel back into the SpaceX facility.

The Boring Company’s site for its prototype garage-elevator shows activity. [Credit: Pauline Acalin/Teslarati]

Unlike the Boring Company’s other proof-of-concept projects such as the Dugout Loop or the test tunnel that would be up for public showing on December 10, the garage-elevator would be exclusively used for testing purposes only. In a comment about the project, Boring Company representative Jane Labanowski also stated that the site would be an essential part of the tunneling startup’s vision for the future.

“It’s an important part of the longer-term vision the company is trying to build,” she said.

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While the commuting public would not be utilizing the garage-elevator, it would be a great idea for The Boring Company to complete the project before the test tunnel’s public showing in December. By having the garage-elevator fully-operational by December 10, attendees of the upcoming public showing would get a clearer idea of how Elon Musk’s tunnels can make transportation faster and easier. 

While the Boring Company is a young tunneling startup that is more well-known for its clever and unique merchandise such as Elon Musk’s Not-a-Flamethrower, the company is also involved in high-profile initiatives. The Boring Company, for, managed to win a contract for the downtown Chicago-O’Hare high-speed transport system earlier this year, beating out larger conglomerates bidding on the project. If the Boring Company is successful in the Chicago-O’Hare transport line, Berenberg analyst Alexander Haissl noted that the tunneling startup could be worth as much as $16 billion.

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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 creates clever solution to simplify and improve its Service

Raj Jegannathan, a Vice President of IT/AI-Infra, Apps, Infosec, and Vehicle Service Operations, revealed that Tesla has started a small pilot program at a few service locations to combat this issue.

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2 hours ago

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August 7, 2025

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has created a clever solution to simplify and improve its Service. Tesla performs most of the services that are needed on its vehicles at its company-owned Service Centers.

However, service has been a weak point of the company, as some regions have fewer Service Centers than others. This can cause long wait times for Tesla owners in some parts of the country.

There are also instances where customers do not agree with what Tesla is saying about their vehicle. In fact, one instance that revealed this new change Tesla is making to its Service was precisely that.

One owner posted on X that his vehicle’s battery seal had failed after a recall was issued. Tesla insurance and Tesla Service both did not assist, and it took CEO Elon Musk stepping in to get the issue resolved:

Another owner suggested there should be a more streamlined communications process between the customer and the Service Center, a solution that has been missing.

Raj Jegannathan, a Vice President of IT/AI-Infra, Apps, Infosec, and Vehicle Service Operations, revealed that Tesla has started a small pilot program at a few service locations to combat this issue.

Elon Musk wants Tesla Service to fix two-thirds of cars in the same day

Jegannathan said that Tesla has started to share local and regional leader contact information so customers have the ability to reach out when they have complaints or disagree with warranty claims, changes in estimates, or initial diagnostics.

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It is available in a handful of locations already, and Jegannathan said that once abuse guardrails are built, this will expand to all locations:

This would be a major improvement in the Service portion of Tesla’s business. There are common disagreements between Service and customers, specifically when Service’s suggestions don’t align with the customer’s beliefs.

When it comes to things like a warranty claim, these issues are not really up for interpretation. Instead, the repairs should be made. If there is a misunderstanding on Service’s side, a simple message from the customer could have resolved the issue. That’s basically what happened here.

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Investor's Corner

Tesla gets its best analysis from Morgan Stanley as ‘it’s all about to change’

He maintained its ‘Overweight’ rating and the $410 price target Morgan Stanley had on the stock.

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3 hours ago

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August 7, 2025

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(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla has gotten perhaps its best analysis from Morgan Stanley in quite some time, as the Wall Street firm claims that “it’s all about to change.”

That phrase could be used for both the company’s status and the world in general.

Analyst Adam Jonas said in a new note on Thursday to investors that Tesla could be one of the major winners in terms of the global transition from what it is now to what it will be.

He describes the global shift that will occur over the next few years:

“Have you interacted with a robot today? Have you even seen a robot today? No? Well, take a mental picture because it’s all about to change. When we meet someone who has never been in a Waymo or a Tesla Cybercab (which is most people), we frequently see a wince and a response such as ‘I’m not sure I’d feel comfortable getting in a car without a driver.’ We imagine going back in time to 1903 and asking people if they’d feel comfortable in an airplane.’”

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The same technological revolutions that have occurred over the past 150 years will continue to occur again and again. We are on the verge of another, Jonas believes, as companies like Tesla are working on artificial intelligence tech, which includes changing the way we look at things like transportation and labor.

Jonas includes an interesting tidbit in his note about how humanoid robots could change wages, and how it could work into the advantage of Tesla, especially as it is developing its own Optimus robot:

“We estimate 1 humanoid robot at $5/hour can do the work of 2 humans at $25/hour, generating an NPV of approximately $200k/humanoid. 1 robot shaped car can potentially drive down cost/mile of a ride share vehicle to <$0.20 mile (1/10th human-driven ride-share).”

Jonas sees Tesla as a key player in how AI will impact things like manufacturing and various automotive industries, and he believes there is long-term potential for AI, robomobility, and even autonomous eVTOL platforms.

Tesla stock: Morgan Stanley says eVTOL is calling Elon Musk for new chapter

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He maintained its ‘Overweight’ rating and the $410 price target Morgan Stanley had on the stock.

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Tesla expands Robotaxi program in Austin to new riders

Tesla has been expanding both the rider group and the geofence in Austin slowly, making sure to prioritize safety and avoid any major events with the early rollout.

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3 hours ago

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August 7, 2025

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Credit: @TerrapinTerpene/X

Tesla is expanding its Robotaxi program in Austin, Texas, as several people have received invitations to participate and take rides.

Tesla first launched the Robotaxi platform on June 22. It invited a handful of people to participate in the first-ever public rides. We were lucky enough to get an invitation, and our permissions have been expanded in the Bay Area pilot program as well.

The group was small and consisted of big names in the Tesla community. It expanded and is continuing to offer these exclusive invitations to notable members of the Tesla community.

There have been fewer than five subsequent invitations after the first group’s were sent in late June:

Tesla has been expanding both the rider group and the geofence in Austin slowly, making sure to prioritize safety and avoid any major events with the early rollout.

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Tesla’s new Robotaxi geofence shape is an FU by Elon Musk to the competition

“We are being very cautious. We do not want to take any chances, so we are going to go cautiously. But the service areas and the number of vehicles in operation will increase at a hyper-exponential rate,” CEO Elon Musk said during the Q2 Earnings Call.

Eventually, the Robotaxi platform will not require an invite, and it will operate without geofences. Musk believes Tesla can get there within three or six months, and plans to have at least half of the U.S. population with access to a Robotaxi by the end of the year:

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“I think we will probably have autonomous ride-hailing in probably half the population of the U.S. by the end of the year. That’s at least our goal, subject to regulatory approvals. I think we will technically be able to do it. Assuming we have regulatory approvals, it’s probably addressing half the population of the U.S. by the end of the year.”

Tesla plans to have regulatory approval in Nevada, Arizona, and Florida sooner than in other states.

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