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Elon Musk’s Boring Company completes environmental assessment for D.C.-Maryland loop

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Elon Musk’s tunneling startup, aptly-named The Boring Company, has taken a step towards its proposed loop system in the East Coast. In an announcement on Wednesday, the Transportation Department stated that the project had completed its environmental assessment, a draft of which will be available for public comment for the next 45 days.

Provided that the proposed project gets approved, the Boring Company will construct a loop system for the D.C.-Maryland route. The loop will utilize autonomous electric vehicles that can transport passengers at speeds of up to 150 mph, roughly the same as the maximum speed of Amtrak’s Acela train that also serves the area. The tunneling startup notes that the East Coast tunnels will be compatible with hyperloop technology as well, which will allow commuters to travel at speeds of over 600 mph.

The Boring Company’s Proposed Alignment Map for the D.C.-Maryland loop. (Credit: The Boring Company)

The DOT’s new Non-Traditional and Emerging Transportation Technology Council, which is created to respond to projects like the loop system, will be studying the Boring Company’s proposed project. In a statement to Politico, the DOT noted that the council will be “reviewing the project closely to determine the scope of DOTโ€™s safety oversight role.” The Federal Highway Administration, the National Park Service, and the Army Corps of Engineers are also cooperating on the loop’s review process.

Once complete, the loop system will comprise two 35-mile tunnels connecting Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland. The Boring Company notes that passengers should be able to travel from downtown D.C. to downtown Baltimore in around 15 minutes using the loop system. Proposed terminals for the project include stops in New York Avenue, northwest of D.C.โ€™s Union Station, and in the Camden Yards area of downtown Baltimore.

A Potential Expansion Map for the D.C.-Maryland tunnel system. (Credit: The Boring Company)

The Boring Company is still a very young tunneling startup, but the company is already being tapped for several high-profile projects. Just recently, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed that he had been in talks with Elon Musk about the possibility of utilizing the Boring Company’s technology to address traffic congestion in some areas of Israel. Back home in the United States, the tunneling startup is also making progress towards the construction of a series of underground tunnels that can carry passengers around the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) campus.

While The Boring Company’s projects might look like regular small tunnels to the layman, the startup has actually developed a notable amount of innovations that are capable of optimizing its tunneling activities. Among these is the upcoming deployment of Line-Storm, a next-generation tunnel boring machine (TBM) that employs both conventional and electric systems. Thanks to this setup, Line-Storm is expected to be capable of digging twice as fast as a conventional tunnel boring machine.

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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 dominates in the UK with Model Y and Model 3 leading the way

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Credit: Tesla China

Tesla is dominating in the United Kingdom so far through 2025, and with about two weeks left in the year, the Model Y and Model 3 are leading the way.

The Model Y and Model 3 are the two best-selling electric vehicles in the United Kingdom, which is comprised of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and it’s not particularly close.

According to data gathered byย EU-EVs, the Model Y is sitting at 18,890 units for the year, while the Model 3 is slightly behind with 16,361 sales for the year so far.

The next best-selling EV is the Audi Q4 e-tron at 10,287 units, lagging significantly behind but ahead of other models like the BMW i4 and the Audi Q6 e-tron.

The Model Y has tasted significant success in the global market, but it has dominated in large markets like Europe and the United States.

For years, it’s been a car that has fit the bill of exactly what consumers need: a perfect combination of luxury, space, and sustainability.

Both vehicles are going to see decreases in sales compared to 2024; the Model Y was the best-selling car last year, but it sold 32,610 units in the UK. Meanwhile, the Model 3 had reached 17,272 units, which will keep it right on par with last year.

Tesla announces major milestone in the United Kingdom

Tesla sold 50,090 units in the market last year, and it’s about 8,000 units shy of last year’s pace. It also had a stronger market share last year with 13.2 percent of the sales in the market. With two weeks left in 2025, Tesla has a 9.6 percent market share, leading Volkswagen with 8 percent.

The company likely felt some impact from CEO Elon Musk’s involvement with the Trump administration and, more specifically, his role with DOGE. However, it is worth mentioning that some months saw stronger consumer demand than others. For example, sales were up over 20 percent in February. A 14 percent increase followed this in June.

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Tesla Insurance officially expands to new U.S. state

Tesla’s in-house Insurance program first launched back in late 2019, offering a new way to insure the vehicles that was potentially less expensive and could alleviate a lot of the issues people had with claims, as the company could assess and repair the damage itself.

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Credit: Tesla Insurance

Tesla Insurance has officially expanded to a new U.S. state, its thirteenth since its launch in 2019.

Tesla has confirmed that its in-house Insurance program has officially made its way to Florida, just two months after the company filed to update its Private Passenger Auto program in the state. It had tried to offer its insurance program to drivers in the state back in 2022, but its launch did not happen.

Instead, Tesla refiled the paperwork back in mid-October, which essentially was the move toward initiating the offering this month.

Tesla’s in-house Insurance program first launched back in late 2019, offering a new way to insure the vehicles that was potentially less expensive and could alleviate a lot of the issues people had with claims, as the company could assess and repair the damage itself.

It has expanded to new states since 2019, but Florida presents a particularly interesting challenge for Tesla, as the company’s entry into the state is particularly noteworthy given its unique insurance landscape, characterized by high premiums due to frequent natural disasters, dense traffic, and a no-fault system.

Tesla partners with Lemonade for new insurance program

Annual average premiums for Florida drivers hover around $4,000 per year, well above the national average. Tesla’s insurance program could disrupt this, especially for EV enthusiasts. The state’s growing EV adoption, fueled by incentives and infrastructure development, aligns perfectly with Tesla’s ecosystem.

Moreover, there are more ways to have cars repaired, and features like comprehensive coverage for battery damage and roadside assistance tailored to EVs address those common painpoints that owners have.

However, there are some challenges that still remain. Florida’s susceptibility to hurricanes raises questions about how Tesla will handle claims during disasters.

Looking ahead, Tesla’s expansion of its insurance program signals the company’s ambition to continue vertically integrating its services, including coverage of its vehicles. Reducing dependency on third-party insurers only makes things simpler for the company’s automotive division, as well as for its customers.

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Tesla Full Self-Driving gets sparkling review from South Korean politician

“Having already ridden in an unmanned robotaxi, the novelty wasnโ€™t as strong for me, but it drives just as well as most people do. It already feels like a completed technology, which gives me a lot to think about.”

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Credit: Soyoung Lee | X

Tesla Full Self-Driving got its first sparkling review from South Korean politician Lee So-young, a member of the country’s National Assembly, earlier this week.

Lee is a member of the Strategy and Finance Committee in South Korea and is a proponent of sustainable technologies and their applications in both residential and commercial settings. For the first time, Lee was able to utilize Tesla’s Full Self-Driving technology as it launched in the country in late November.

Her thoughts on the suite were complimentary to the suite, stating that “it drives just as well as most people do,” and that “it already feels like a completed technology.”

Her translated post says:

“Finally, today I got to experience Tesla FSD in Seoul. Thanks to the Model S sponsored by JiDal Papa^^, Iโ€™m truly grateful to Papa. The route was from the National Assembly -> Mangwon Market -> Hongik University -> back to the National Assembly. Having already ridden in an unmanned robotaxi, the novelty wasnโ€™t as strong for me, but it drives just as well as most people do. It already feels like a completed technology, which gives me a lot to think about. Once it actually spreads into widespread use, I feel like our daily lives are going to change a lot. Even I, with my license gathering dust in a drawer, donโ€™t see much reason to learn to drive a manual anymore.”

Tesla Full Self-Driving officially landed in South Korea in late November, with the initial launch being one of Tesla’s most recent, v14.1.4.

It marked the seventh country in which Tesla was able to enable the driver assistance suite, following the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, China, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand.

It is important to see politicians and figures in power try new technologies, especially ones that are widely popular in other regions of the world and could potentially revolutionize how people travel globally.

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