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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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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.

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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SpaceX reaches incredible milestone with Starlink program

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Credit: SpaceX

SpaceX reached an incredible milestone with its Starlink program with a launch last night, as the 3,000th satellite of the year was launched into low Earth orbit.

On Monday, SpaceX also achieved its 32nd flight with a single Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

The mission was Starlink 6-92, and it utilized the Falcon 9 B1067 for the 32nd time this year, the most-used Falcon booster. The flight delivered SpaceX’s 3000th Starlink satellite of the year, a massive achievement.

There were 29 Starlink satellites launched and deployed into LEO during this particular mission:

SpaceX has a current goal of certifying its Falcon boosters for 40 missions apiece, according to Spaceflight Now.

The flight was the 350th orbital launch from the nearby SLC-40, and the 3,000 satellites that have been successfully launched this year continue to contribute to the company’s goal of having 12,000 satellites contributing to global internet coverage.

There are over five million users of Starlink, the latest data shows.

Following the launch and stage separation, the Falcon 9 booster completed its mission with a perfect landing on the ‘Just Read the Instructions’ droneship.

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The mission was the 575th overall Falcon 9 launch, highlighting SpaceX’s operational tempo, which continues to be accelerated. The company averages two missions per week, and underscores CEO Elon Musk’s vision of a multi-planetary future, where reliable connectivity is crucial for remote work, education, and emergency response.

As Starlink expands and works toward that elusive and crucial 12,000 satellite goal, missions like 6-92 pave the way for innovations in telecommunications and enable more internet access to people across the globe.

With regulatory approvals in over 100 countries and millions of current subscribers, SpaceX continues to democratize space, proving that reusability is not just feasible, but it’s also revolutionary.

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Tesla expands new Full Self-Driving program in Europe

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Credit: Tesla Europe & Middle East/X

Tesla expanded its new Full Self-Driving program, which gives people the opportunity to experience the company’s suite, in Europe.

Tesla recently launched an opportunity for Europeans to experience Full Self-Driving, not in their personal vehicles, but through a new ride-along program that initially launched in Italy, France, and Germany back in late November.

People could experience it by booking a reservation with a local Tesla showroom, but timeslots quickly filled up, making it difficult to keep up with demand. Tesla expanded the program and offered some additional times, but it also had its sights set on getting the program out to new markets.

It finally achieved that on December 9, as it launched rides in Denmark and Switzerland, adding the fourth and fifth countries to the program.

Tesla confirmed the arrival of the program to Denmark and Switzerland on X:

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The program, while a major contributor to Tesla’s butts in seats strategy, is truly another way for the company to leverage its fans in an effort to work through the regulatory hurdles it is facing in Europe.

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Tesla has faced significant red tape in the region, and although it has tested the FSD suite and been able to launch this ride-along program, it is still having some tremendous issues convincing regulatory agencies to allow it to give it to customers.

CEO Elon Musk has worked with regulators, but admitted the process has been “insanely painful.”

The most recent development with FSD and its potential use in Europe dealt with the Dutch approval authority, known as the RDW.

Tesla says Europe could finally get FSD in 2026, and Dutch regulator RDW is key

Tesla said it believes some regulations are “outdated and rules-based,” which makes the suite ineligible for use in the European jurisdiction.

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The RDW is working with Tesla to gain approval sometime early next year, but there are no guarantees. However, Tesla’s angle with the ride-along program seems to be that if it can push consumers to experience it and have a positive time, it should be easier for it to gain its footing across Europe with regulatory agencies.

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Tesla ramps hiring for Roadster as latest unveiling approaches

Tesla published three new positions for the Roadster this week, relating to Battery Manufacturing, General Manufacturing, and Vision Engineering.

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Tesla Roadster at Tesla Battery Day 2020 Credit: @BLKMDL3 | Twitter

Tesla is ramping up hiring for positions related to the Roadster program, the company’s ultra-fast supercar that has been teased to potentially hover by CEO Elon Musk.

The company seems to be crossing off its last handful of things before it plans to unveil the vehicle on April Fool’s Day, just about four months away.

Tesla published three new positions for the Roadster this week, relating to Battery Manufacturing, General Manufacturing, and Vision Engineering. All three are located in Northern California, with two being at the Fremont Factory and the other at the company’s Engineering HQ in Palo Alto.

Technical Program Manager, Battery Manufacturing

Located in Fremont, this role specifically caters to the design of the Roadster to factory operations. It appears this role will mostly have to do with developing and engineering the Roadster’s battery pack and establishing the production processes for it:

“You will foster collaboration across design engineering, manufacturing, quality, facilities, and production to align with company priorities. Additionally, you will understand project opportunities, challenges, and dependencies; translate scattered information into concise, complete messages; and communicate them to every team member. As the business process development lead, you will develop, maintain, and implement tools and processes to accelerate battery manufacturing execution, achieve cross-functional alignment, and deliver highly efficient systems.”

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Manufacturing Engineer, Roadster

Also located in Fremont, this role also has to deal with the concept development and launch of battery manufacturing equipment. Tesla says:

“In this role, you will take large-scale manufacturing systems for new battery products and architectures from the early concept development stage through equipment launch, optimization, and handover to local operations teams.”

Manufacturing Vision Engineer, Battery Vision

This position is in Palo Alto at Tesla’s Engineering Headquarters, and requires the design and scale of advanced inspection and control systems to next-generation battery products:

“You’ll work on automation processes that directly improve battery performance, quality, and cost, collaborating with world-class engineers in a fast-paced, hands-on environment.”

Developing and deploying 2D and 3D vision and measurement systems from proof-of-concept to deployment on high-volume battery manufacturing lines is part of the job description.

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Roadster Unveiling

Tesla plans to unveil the Roadster on April 1, and although it was planned for late this year, it is nice to see the company put out a definitive date.

Musk said on the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast in late October:

“Whether it’s good or bad, it will be unforgettable. My friend Peter Thiel once reflected that the future was supposed to have flying cars, but we don’t have flying cars. I think if Peter wants a flying car, he should be able to buy one…I think it has a shot at being the most memorable product unveil ever.”

Production should begin between 12 to 18 months after unveiling, so we could see it sometime in 2027.

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