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The Boring Company’s innovations take center stage at Hawthorne test tunnel opening event
Two years ago, Elon Musk founded a tunneling startup aimed at battling what he creatively described as “soul-destroying traffic.” Musk’s idea was simple — traffic congestion can be addressed by using underground tunnels where vehicles can travel at extremely fast speeds on electric skates. Hence, a startup aptly named The Boring Company was born.
Since then, the tunneling company has acquired a high-profile project in Chicago, developed low-cost bricks from tunneling rocks, and completed its first test tunnel. Constructed on the backyard of the SpaceX headquarters, the Boring Company’s Hawthorne test tunnel was unveiled on Tuesday in an opening party, complete with entertainment, fun activities, and a medieval watchtower overlaid with Boring Bricks.
Being smaller in diameter than traditional tunnels, The Boring Company’s projects are more cost-effective and faster to construct. Its 1.14-mile Hawthorne tunnel, for example only cost ~$10 million to build, including internal infrastructure, lighting, comms/video, safety systems, ventilation, and tracks. Conventional tunneling projects, which involve larger tunnels and traditional digging methods, could cost as much as $1 billion per mile.
Elon Musk conducted an information session to members of the press prior to the official start of the unveiling. During the meeting, Musk discussed some updates about the startup’s concepts. For one, Musk noted that The Boring Company had changed its idea of using electric skates to propel cars. Instead of using pre-made electric skates, the company is now using the vehicle as the skate itself.
“There won’t be a skate — no more skate. The vehicle is the skate,” Musk said.
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Tesla Model X fitted with electric skates for transportation through The Boring Company’s Hawthorne test tunnel. (Photo: Tom Cross/Teslarati)
The Hawthorne test tunnel would be utilizing the Loop System, which is designed to accommodate cars and passenger pods. During the Q&A, Musk noted that the Loop is a step towards the eventual creation of Hyperloop, which utilizes pods traveling inside low-pressure tubes at speeds of up to 700 mph. “The loop is a stepping stone toward Hyperloop. Loop is for transport within a city. And Hyperloop is transport between cities,” Musk said.
Apart from referencing Hyperloop transportation, Musk further discussed other possible uses for The Boring Company’s technology. Reiterating an idea he expressed during a “fireside chat” in Los Angeles with LA Mayor Eric Garcetti, Musk noted that the Boring Co.’s tunnels could also be used for utilities such as water lines. Due to the tunnels’ construction and design, Musk stated that “If a water main breaks, it floods through the tunnel one end, and gets pumped out the other.” This would allow cities to address utility issues without much hassle.
Just like Musk’s other companies like Tesla and SpaceX, The Boring Company is in a constant process of innovation. The startup, for one, continues to design and develop its third-generation Tunnel Boring Machine. Once operational, the new TBM would be capable of digging 15 times faster than a conventional boring machine. Apart from using a fully-electric system to increase power, The Boring Machine is also designing the upcoming TBM’s cutter head to process more dirt. In yet another step away from convention, the tunneling startup is also creating reinforcement segments on site using the dirt excavated from the tunnel itself.
Musk has noted that The Boring Company’s tunneling projects are already attracting a lot of interest, stating that “we have more demand on tunnels than we can satisfy,” and that “we have people hounding us to invest nonstop.” In a flourish of classic Elon Musk humor, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO noted that “it’s kinda ridiculous how much interest we’ve had in investing in Boring Company.” Elaborating further, Steve Davis, the CEO of the Boring Company, added that the startup receives “greater than 5 and less than 20 requests per week from different municipalities and stakeholders.”
Elon Musk
Elon Musk hints Tesla investors will be rewarded heavily
“Hold onto your Tesla stock. It’s going to be worth a lot, I think. That’s my bet,” Musk said.
Elon Musk recently hinted that he believes Tesla investors will be rewarded heavily if they continue to hold onto their shares, and he reiterated that in a new interview that the company released on its social accounts this week.
Musk is one of the most successful CEOs in the modern era and has mammothed competitors on the Forbes Net Worth List over the past year as his holdings in his various companies have continued to swell.
Tesla investors, especially those who have been holding shares for several years, have also felt substantial gains in their portfolios. Over the past five years, the stock is up over 78 percent. Since February 2019, nearly seven years ago to the day, the stock is up over 1,800 percent.
Musk said in the interview:
“Hold onto your Tesla stock. It’s going to be worth a lot, I think. That’s my bet.”
Elon Musk in new interview: “Hold on to your $TSLA stock. It’s going to be worth a lot, I think. That’s my bet.” pic.twitter.com/cucirBuhq0
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) February 26, 2026
It’s no secret Musk has been extremely bullish on his own companies, but Tesla in particular, because it is publicly traded.
However, the company has so many amazing projects that have an opportunity to revolutionize their respective industries. There is certainly a path to major growth on Wall Street for Tesla through its various future projects, including Optimus, Cybercab, Semi, and Unsupervised FSD.
- Optimus (Tesla’s humanoid robot): Musk has discussed its potential for tasks like childcare, walking dogs, or assisting elderly parents, positioning it as a massive long-term driver of company value.
- Cybercab (Tesla’s robotaxi/autonomous ride-hailing vehicle): a fully autonomous vehicle geared specifically for Tesla’s ride-sharing ambitions.
- Semi (Tesla’s electric truck, with mentions of expansion, like in Europe): brings Tesla into the commercial logistics sector.
- Unsupervised FSD (Full Self-Driving software achieving full autonomy without human supervision): turns every Tesla owner’s vehicle into a fully-autonomous vehicle upon release
These projects specifically are some of the highest-growth pillars Tesla has ever attempted to develop, especially in Musk’s eyes, as he has said Optimus will be the best-selling product of all-time.
Many analysts agree, but the bullish ones, like Cathie Wood of ARK Invest, are perhaps the one who believes Tesla has incredible potential on Wall Street, predicting a $2,600 price target for 2030, but this is not even including Optimus.
She told Bloomberg last March that she believes that the project will present a potential additive if Tesla can scale faster than anticipated.
Cybertruck
Tesla drops latest hint that new Cybertruck trim is selling like hotcakes
According to Tesla’s Online Design Studio, the new All-Wheel-Drive Cybertruck will now be delivered in April 2027. Earlier orders are still slated for early this Summer, but orders from here on forward are now officially pushed into next year:
Tesla’s new Cybertruck offering has had its delivery date pushed back once again. This is now the second time, and deliveries for the newest orders are now pushed well into 2027.
According to Tesla’s Online Design Studio, the new All-Wheel-Drive Cybertruck will now be delivered in April 2027. Earlier orders are still slated for early this Summer, but orders from here on forward are now officially pushed into next year:
🚨 Tesla has updated the $59,990 Cybertruck Dual Motor AWD’s estimated delivery date to April 2027.
First deliveries are still slated for June, but if you order it now, you’ll be waiting over a year.
Demand appears to be off the charts for the new Cybertruck and consumers are… pic.twitter.com/raDCCeC0zP
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) February 26, 2026
Just three days ago, the initial delivery date of June 2026 was pushed back to early Fall, and now, that date has officially moved to April 2027.
The fact that Tesla has had to push back deliveries once again proves one of two things: either Tesla has slow production plans for the new Cybertruck trim, or demand is off the charts.
Judging by how Tesla is already planning to raise the price based on demand in just a few days, it seems like the company knows it is giving a tremendous deal on this spec of Cybertruck, and units are moving quickly.
That points more toward demand and not necessarily to slower production plans, but it is not confirmed.
Tesla Cybertruck’s newest trim will undergo massive change in ten days, Musk says
Tesla is set to hike the price on March 1, so tomorrow will be the final day to grab the new Cybertruck trim for just $59,990.
It features:
- Dual Motor AWD w/ est. 325 mi of range
- Powered tonneau cover
- Bed outlets (2x 120V + 1x 240V) & Powershare capability
- Coil springs w/ adaptive damping
- Heated first-row seats w/ textile material that is easy to clean
- Steer-by-wire & Four Wheel Steering
- 6’ x 4’ composite bed
- Towing capacity of up to 7,500 lbs
- Powered frunk
Interestingly, the price offering is fairly close to what Tesla unveiled back in late 2019.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk outlines plan for first Starship tower catch attempt
Musk confirmed that Starship V3 Ship 1 (SN1) is headed for ground tests and expressed strong confidence in the updated vehicle design.
Elon Musk has clarified when SpaceX will first attempt to catch Starship’s upper stage with its launch tower. The CEO’s update provides the clearest teaser yet for the spacecraft’s recovery roadmap.
Musk shared the details in recent posts on X. In his initial post, Musk confirmed that Starship V3 Ship 1 (SN1) is headed for ground tests and expressed strong confidence in the updated vehicle design.
“Starship V3 SN1 headed for ground tests. I am highly confident that the V3 design will achieve full reusability,” Musk wrote.
In a follow-up post, Musk addressed when SpaceX would attempt to catch the upper stage using the launch tower’s robotic arms.
“Should note that SpaceX will only try to catch the ship with the tower after two perfect soft landings in the ocean. The risk of the ship breaking up over land needs to be very low,” Musk clarified.
His remarks suggest that SpaceX is deliberately reducing risk before attempting a tower catch of Starship’s upper stage. Such a milestone would mark a major step towards the full reuse of the Starship system.
SpaceX is currently targeting the first Starship V3 flight of 2026 this coming March. The spacecraft’s V3 iteration is widely viewed as a key milestone in SpaceX’s long-term strategy to make Starship fully reusable.
Starship V3 features a number of key upgrades over its previous iterations. The vehicle is equipped with SpaceX’s Raptor V3 engines, which are designed to deliver significantly higher thrust than earlier versions while reducing cost and weight.
The V3 design is also expected to be optimized for manufacturability, a critical step if SpaceX intends to scale the spacecraft’s production toward frequent launches for Starlink, lunar missions, and eventually Mars.
Elon Musk hints Tesla investors will be rewarded heavily
Tesla drops latest hint that new Cybertruck trim is selling like hotcakes
