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The Boring Company’s gantry and next-gen TBM takes shape ahead of Chicago project

[Credit: Pauline Acalin/Teslarati]

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While The Boring Company is hard at work preparing for the upcoming public showing of its proof-of-concept tunnel in Hawthorne, CA on December 10, the tunneling startup also appears to be laying the foundations for its high-profile transport project in Chicago. The project, which would connect downtown Chicago to O’Hare airport, is expected to break ground within the next few months.  

The contract for the Chicago-O’Hare transport line had several key bidders, including veteran conglomerates with decades of experience in building transportation systems. Quite surprisingly, Chicago awarded the contract for the project to the young tunneling startup, partly due to The Boring Company’s commitment to funding the tunnel system through private investors. In true Elon Musk fashion, the timeline for the Chicago tunnels is aggressive, with the startup aiming to have the high-speed systems operational in 18-24 months after the initial digging.

The Boring Company has issued few updates on the Chicago project since it won the contract last June. Save for an image of a tunnel boring machine gantry that was shared on Twitter; the tunneling startup has been quite silent about the progress of its preparations for the high-profile project. Earlier this month, though, Teslarati photographers Pauline Acalin and Tom Cross were able to snap more images of the TBM gantry being built for the Chicago transport line. What’s more, sophisticated equipment in the same site also suggests that a large machine — possibly The Boring Company’s new TBM — is under construction.  

The Boring Company’s construction site for its gantry and TBM. [Credit: Pauline Acalin/Teslarati]

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During the Boring Company’s information session earlier this year, Elon Musk described the design of the startup’s tunnel boring machines. According to Musk, Godot, the company’s first TBM, is a conventional tunneling machine. Line-Storm, which was announced by Musk on Twitter last October, would be a hybrid, with parts from conventional boring machines and custom hardware designed by the company. Thanks to its hybrid nature, Line-Storm would be 2x faster than Godot. Proof-Rock, a third-generation TBM, will be developed entirely by the Boring Company, and it would be 10-15x faster than conventional TBMs.

It remains to be seen if the machine seemingly being assembled at the Hawthorne site is Line-Storm or Proof-Rock. That said, the Boring Company’s TBM for Chicago would most likely feature the startup’s most advanced tunneling tech yet. During the information session, Musk stated that the company’s boring machines, thanks to their electric nature (or partially-partially electric in the case of Line-Storm), the Boring Co’s machines are around 3x more powerful than conventional TBMs. The TBMs will be powered by Tesla batteries as well, eliminating the need for cabling in the actual tunneling site.

The Boring Company’s construction site for its gantry and TBM. [Credit: Pauline Acalin and Tom Cross/Teslarati]

The Chicago-O’Hare line is the Boring Company’s most ambitious project to date, estimated to be more than 17 miles long and costing around $1 billion when it’s complete. The transport line would feature the Loop System, which utilizes electric pods designed to transport up to 16 commuters at a time. The pods, which would be constructed by Tesla Inc., are all-electric, and are capable of traveling up to 150 mph. Seemingly as a means to make the manufacturing of the Urban Loop pods quicker and more efficient, Tesla would be using the Model X chassis as a basis for the vehicles.

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Apart from the work being done on the Chicago TBM gantry, as well as the apparent assembly of its next tunnel boring machine, The Boring Company is also hard at work in completing its Hawthorne tunnel, which is set for public showing this coming December 10. A prototype garage-elevator concept that connects directly to the Hawthorne test tunnels is also being built on a private lot at 120th Street and Prairie Avenue, roughly halfway in the company’s 2-mile Hawthorne test tunnel. 

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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Elon Musk

Elon Musk doubles down on Tesla Cybercab timeline once again

“Cybercab, which has no pedals or steering wheel, starts production in April,” Musk said.

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Credit: @JT59052914/X

CEO Elon Musk doubled down once again on the timeline of production for the Tesla Cybercab, marking yet another example of the confidence he has in the company’s ability to meet the aggressive timeline for the vehicle.

It is the third time in the past six months that Musk has explicitly stated Cybercab will enter production in April 2026.

On Monday morning, Musk reiterated that Cybercab will enter its initial manufacturing phase in April, and that it would not have any pedals or a steering wheel, two things that have been speculated as potential elements of the vehicle, if needed.

Musk has been known to be aggressive with timelines, and some products have been teased for years and years before they finally come to fruition.

One of perhaps the biggest complaints about Musk is the fact that Tesla does not normally reach the deadlines that are set: the Roadster, Semi, and Unsupervised Full Self-Driving suite are a few of those that have been given “end of this year” timelines, but have not been fulfilled.

Nevertheless, many are able to look past this as part of the process. New technology takes time to develop, but we’d rather not hear about when, and just the progress itself.

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However, the Cybercab is a bit different. Musk has said three times in the past six months that Cybercab will be built in April, and this is something that is sort of out of the ordinary for him.

In December 2025, he said that Tesla was “testing the production system” of the vehicle and that “real production ramp starts in April.

Elon Musk shares incredible detail about Tesla Cybercab efficiency

On January 23, he said that “Cybercab production starts in April.” He did the same on February 16, marking yet another occasion that Musk has his sights set on April for initial production of the vehicle.

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Musk has also tempered expectations for the Cybercab’s initial production phase. In January, he noted that Cybercab would be subjected to the S-curve-type production speed:

“…initial production is always very slow and follows an S-curve. The speed of production ramp is inversely proportionate to how many new parts and steps there are. For Cybercab and Optimus, almost everything is new, so the early production rate will be agonizingly slow, but eventually end up being insanely fast.”

Cybercab will be a huge part of Tesla’s autonomous ride-sharing plans moving forward.

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Tesla owners explore potential FSD pricing options as uncertainty looms

We asked Tesla owners what the company should price Full Self-Driving moving forward, as now it’s going to be subscription-based. There were some interesting proposals.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla is starting the process of removing the ability to purchase the Full Self-Driving suite outright, as it pulled the purchase option in the United States over the weekend.

However, there has been some indication by CEO Elon Musk that the price of the subscription will increase as the suite becomes more robust. But Tesla finds itself in an interesting situation with this: the take rate for Full Self-Driving at $99 per month is about 12 percent, and Musk needs a significant increase in this rate to reach a tranche in his new compensation package.

This leaves Tesla and owners in their own respective limbos: Tesla needs to find a price that will incentivize consumers to use FSD, while owners need Tesla to offer something that is attractive price-wise.

We asked Tesla owners what the company should price Full Self-Driving moving forward, as now it’s going to be subscription-based. There were some interesting proposals.

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Price Reduction

Although people are willing to pay the $99 per month for the FSD suite, it certainly is too high for some owners. Many suggested that if Tesla would back down the price to $49, or somewhere around that region, many owners would immediately subscribe.

Others suggested $69, which would make a lot of sense considering Musk’s obsession with that number.

Different Pricing for Supervised and Unsupervised

With the release of the Unsupervised version of Full Self-Driving, Tesla has a unique opportunity to offer pricing for different attention level requirements.

Unsupervised Full Self-Driving would be significantly more expensive, but not needed by everyone. Many people indicate they would still like to drive their cars manually from time to time, but others said they’d just simply be more than okay with only having Supervised FSD available in their cars.

Time-Based Pricing

Tesla could price FSD on a duration-based pricing model, including Daily, Weekly, Monthly, and Annual rates, which would incentivize longer durations with better pricing.

Annually, the rate could be $999 per year, while Monthly would stay at $99. However, a Daily pass of FSD would cost somewhere around $10, while a $30 per week cost seems to be ideal.

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These all seem to be in line with what consumers might want. However, Tesla’s attitude with FSD is that it is the future of transportation, and with it offering only a Monthly option currently, it does not seem as if it will look as short-term as a Daily pass.

Tiered Pricing

This is perhaps the most popular option, according to what we’ve seen in comments and replies.

This would be a way to allow owners to pick and choose which FSD features they would like most and pay for them. The more features available to you, the more it costs.

For example, if someone only wanted Supervised driving and Autopark, it could be priced at $50 per month. Add in Summon, it could be $75.

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This would allow people to pick only the features they would use daily.

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Tesla leaves a single loophole to purchase Full Self-Driving outright

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has left a single loophole to purchase Full Self-Driving outright. On Sunday, the option officially disappeared from the Online Design Studio in the United States, as Tesla transitioned to a Subscription-only purchasing plan for the FSD suite.

However, there is still one way to get the Full Self-Driving suite in an outright manner, which would not require the vehicle owner to pay monthly for the driver assistance program — but you have to buy a Model S or Model X.

Months ago, Tesla launched a special “Luxe Package” for the Model S and Model X, which included Full Self-Driving for the life of the vehicle, as well as free Supercharging at over 75,000 locations, as well as free Premium Connectivity, and a Four-Year Premium Service package, which includes wheel and tire protection, windshiel protection, and recommended maintenance.

It would also be available through the purchase of a Cyberbeast, the top trim of the Cybertruck lineup.

This small loophole would allow owners to avoid the monthly payment, but there have been some changes in the fine print of the program, as Tesla has added that it will not be transferable to subsequent vehicle owners or to another vehicle.

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This goes for the FSD and the Supercharging offers that come with the Luxe Package.

For now, Tesla still has the Full Self-Driving subscription priced at $99 per month. However, that price is expected to increase over the course of some time, especially as its capabilities improve. Tesla seems to be nearing Unsupervised FSD based on Musk’s estimates for the Cybercab program.

There is the potential that Tesla offers both Unsupervised and Supervised FSD for varying prices, but this is not confirmed.

In other countries, Tesla has pushed back the deadline to purchase the suite outright, as in Australia, it has been adjusted to March 31.

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