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Elon Musk’s Boring Company becomes frontrunner for Ontario Airport high-speed tunnel

(Credit: The Boring Company)

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It appears that Elon Musk’s tunneling startup, The Boring Company, is poised to secure a high-profile contract to build the Ontario Airport Loop, a high-speed transport tunnel connecting Rancho Cucamonga with the Ontario International Airport. The Boring Company’s tunnel will be a faster and more cost-effective alternative to above ground rail projects, which were previously proposed for the route. 

The new Boring Co. project has received widespread support from the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority’s Board of Directors, who voted unanimously in favor of the system. As noted by The Mercury News, the Board of Directors also directed staff to postpone a $3 million study that explores other airport-rail connection options. 

According to San Bernardino County Supervisor Curt Hagman, the Boring Company’s transport tunnels are a great, affordable alternative to more traditional rail systems, which take far longer to construct. Hagman was actually able to see the Boring Company’s technology in person, having visited the startup’s Hawthorne site and taken a test ride through the test tunnel. 

“It gets us thinking in a new way. This is something that can be done relatively quickly and inexpensively,” he said. 

Tesla Cybertruck goes inside The Boring Company Tunnel
Tesla Cybertruck goes inside The Boring Company Tunnel (Credit: Jay Leno’s Garage vis CNBC)

The Boring Company’s Rancho Cucamonga-Ontario Airport tunnel will be 2.8 miles long. The tunnels themselves will be 14 feet in diameter and about 35 feet underground. For now, the proposal involves using electric vehicles with rubber tires traveling up to 127 mph from point to point, though plans are reportedly also underway to introduce electric vans for the transport system. 

These electric vans are capable of seating up to 12 people and their luggage. The vehicles, which are being developed by Tesla, will boost the capacity of the system to about 1,200 per day, or over 10 million per year provided that they see a mass rollout. These electric vans seem very similar to the Boring Company’s mass transport units that were mentioned back when the startup was being considered for the Chicago Airport transport line. 

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The Ontario Airport Loop is expected to cost between $45-$60 million, though the project’s entire cost could reach about $75 million when the price of adding an operations center, management services, and operators’ wages is added. Yet despite this, $75 million is still a far cry from the estimated $1-$1.5 billion light rail extension that was also being considered. 

The Boring Company’s Ontario Airport Loop is expected to be completed in about four years, far quicker than the 10 years that the construction of a light rail extension requires. Carrie Schindler, SBCTA director of transit and rail, explained this in a statement to local news outlets. “It is much more cost-effective. I do anticipate the need for outside funding but at a reduced level as compared to building surface projects,” the transit and rail director said. 

The Boring Company may have only been around for a few years, but the tunneling startup seems to be hitting its stride with its projects. Prior to the Ontario Airport Loop, the Boring Co. has been contracted to build a Loop system for the Las Vegas Convention Center, which would allow visitors to the expansive site to travel from one end of the complex to the other in just a few minutes. The progress of the Las Vegas Loop has been quick, with the digging of both tunnels being completed recently. 

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 recalls 6,197 Cybertrucks for light bar adhesive issue

On October 20, Tesla issued a voluntary recall of the impacted vehicles and has identified 619 warranty claims and just a single field report that is related to the issue. 

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Credit: Francisco Garcia (via Greggertruck on X)

Tesla has recalled 6,197 Cybertrucks for a light bar adhesive issue that was utilized by Service to install the aftermarket part.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), impacted vehicles may have had the light bar “inadvertently attached to the windshield using the incorrect surface primer.”

Tesla identified an issue with the light bar’s adhesion to glass back in February and worked for months to find a solution. In October, the company performed chemical testing as a part of an engineering study and determined the root cause as the BetaPrime primer it utilized, figuring out that it was not the right surface priming material to use for this specific application.

On October 20, Tesla issued a voluntary recall of the impacted vehicles and has identified 619 warranty claims and just a single field report that is related to the issue.

The component is manufactured by a Romanian company called Hella Romania S.R.L., but the issue is not the primer’s quality. Instead, it is simply the fact that it is not the correct adhesive for this specific type of application.

Tesla says there are no reports of injuries or deaths due to this issue, and it will be resolved. In the 473 report that the NHTSA released this morning, Tesla said:

“At no charge to customers, Tesla will inspect the service-installed optional off-road light bar accessory for delamination or damage and if either is present, replace the light bar with a new light bar adhered with tape and a positive mechanical attachment. If no delamination or damage is present, Tesla will retrofit the service-installed optional off-road light bar accessory with a positive mechanical attachment.”

This is the third recall applied to Cybertrucks this year, as one on March 18 highlighted the potential for exterior trim panels to detach while driving, and another earlier this month when the NHTSA said its front parking lights were too bright.

Tesla resolved the first with a free assembly replacement, while the headlight issue was fixed with an Over-the-Air software update earlier this week. Owners said there was a noticeable difference in the brightness of the lights now compared to previously.

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Tesla investor Calpers opposes Elon Musk’s 2025 performance award

Musk’s 2025 pay plan will be decided at Tesla’s 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting, which will be held on November 6 in Giga Texas.

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Credit: Tesla China

One of the United States’ largest pension funds, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (Calpers), has stated that it will be voting against Elon Musk’s 2025 Tesla CEO performance award. 

Musk’s 2025 pay plan will be decided at Tesla’s 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting, which will be held on November 6 in Giga Texas. Company executives have stated that the upcoming vote will decide Tesla’s fate in the years to come.

Why Calpers opposes Musk’s 2025 performance award

In a statement shared with Bloomberg News, a Calpers spokesperson criticized the scale of Musk’s proposed deal. Calpers currently holds about 5 million Tesla shares, giving its stance meaningful influence among institutional investors.

“The CEO pay package proposed by Tesla is larger than pay packages for CEOs in comparable companies by many orders of magnitude. It would also further concentrate power in a single shareholder,” the spokesperson stated.

This is not the first time Calpers has opposed a major Musk pay deal. The fund previously voted against a $56 billion package proposed for Musk and criticized the CEO’s 2018 performance-based plan, which was perceived as unrealistic due to its ambitious nature at the time. Musk’s 2018 pay plan was later struck down by a Delaware court, though Tesla is currently appealing the decision.

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Musk’s 2025 CEO Performance Award

While Elon Musk’s 2025 performance award will result in him becoming a trillionaire, he would not be able to receive any compensation from Tesla unless aggressive operational and financial targets are met. For Musk to receive his full compensation, for example, he would have to grow Tesla’s market cap from today’s $1.1 trillion to $8.5 trillion, effectively making it the world’s most valuable company by a mile. 

Musk has also maintained that his 2025 performance award is not about compensation. It’s about his controlling stake at Tesla. “If I can just get kicked out in the future by activist shareholder advisory firms who don’t even own Tesla shares themselves, I’m not comfortable with that future,” Musk wrote in a post on X.

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Tesla Cybercab is heading to China’s import expo

The event will take place from November 5–10 at Shanghai’s National Exhibition and Convention Center.

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Credit: Tesla Europe & Middle East/X

Tesla will make its return to the China International Import Expo (CIIE) this November, marking its first appearance at the event since 2022. The U.S. electric vehicle maker confirmed it will showcase its highly anticipated Cybercab, which will make its Asia-Pacific debut during the event. 

The expo will take place from November 5–10 at Shanghai’s National Exhibition and Convention Center.

Tesla Cybercab in China

Tesla announced its participation in the event on its official Weibo account. As per the electric vehicle maker, it would be occupying Booth A3-03 in Hall 2.1 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center. As noted in a CNEV Post report, the Cybercab, the company’s dedicated autonomous two-seater Robotaxi, will be making its Asia-Pacific debut at the CIIE as well. 

The company shared a graphic on Chinese social media which showed an image featuring several Tesla products, such as the Cybercab, Optimus, and Megapack batteries. The graphic also featured a building that read “Master Plan Part IV.”

Tesla’s momentum in China

Tesla’s return comes after skipping the event last year. Interestingly enough, Tesla attended the event from 2018 all the way to 2023. Tesla’s return to the CIIE then aligns with the company’s efforts to attract consumer interest in the world’s most competitive electric vehicle market. 

The Cybercab’s presence in the event could suggest that Tesla might be interested in bringing its Robotaxi to the country. This is quite interesting as China is already home to several autonomous ride-hailing services, though Tesla’s pure vision approach, which focuses on artificial intelligence and cameras, is quite unique. So far, Tesla has only rolled out its autonomous ride-hailing services in Austin, Texas, and the Bay Area, California.

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