Connect with us

News

Tesla Model X pulls 250,000 pounds of muck from Boring Company tunnel

Published

on

Tesla CEO Elon Musk just shared what could very well be the Model X’s most impressive and most insane feat yet — pulling roughly 250,000-pounds (125 tons) worth of muck and rail cars out of a Boring Co. tunnel. Musk’s video was a response to one of his followers who asked about the electric SUV’s towing limit. 

What’s particularly impressive about Musk’s clip was just how effortless it seemed for the Model X to tow the 250,000-pound cargo. Quite unlike the usual tug-of-war videos featuring the Model X battling against ICE heavyweights such as the Hummer H2, the all-electric SUV in Musk’s Twitter video was not spinning its tires or attempting to accelerate quickly. Instead, it was pulling the rail cars out of The Boring Co. tunnel in a very regulated speed, allowing its tires to gain enough traction.

While the Model X’s feats of strength involving vehicles and cargo that are far heavier than its rated 3,500-5,000-pound towing capacity are incredibly impressive, much of it is due to physics. Light vehicles, after all, are capable of pulling heavy cargo provided that they have enough traction and momentum. Nevertheless, the instant torque produced by the Model X’s two electric motors definitely helped the SUV in Musk’s video tow its 250,000-pound cargo from The Boring Company tunnel.

Advertisement

Apart from the Model X’s impressive feat, Musk’s recent Twitter video also gave a good idea of the size of the Boring Company’s projects. Based on Musk’s recent video, the size of the startup’s tunnels are really compact. This is in line with Elon Musk’s concept for The Boring Co.’s tunnels, which are designed to be smaller than faster to dig than projects dug by larger, more conventional tunnel boring machines (TBMs).

Apart from being smaller and faster to construct, the Boring Company’s tunnels are also far more affordable than the industry standard. Currently, the average price of tunnels that are dug by conventional TBMs cost around $1 billion per mile. Since the Boring Company’s tunnels are roughly 50% smaller, however, Elon Musk expects to reduce the startup’s tunneling costs by a factor of four.

Despite its advanced tech and novel features such as its Falcon Wing Doors, the Tesla Model X is still an incredibly durable vehicle. As we noted in a report earlier this month, a Model X parked in a Philadelphia, PA office parking lot became the unfortunate victim of a falling tree. During the incident, the tree quite literally fell on the Model X, but despite this, the electric SUV came away from the incident relatively unharmed.

Of course, the Model X is also a formidable force in tug-of-war battles. During Musk’s Twitter session on Thursday, he shared our article about a Tesla Model X being challenged by a Chevy Camaro 350 IROC-Z in a tug-of-war match. The results of that battle are what could be called a classic, electric beatdown.

Advertisement

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.

Comments

News

Hyundai & Posco partner for US steel plant amid Trump tariff pause  

Published

on

hyundai-posco-steel-plant-trump-tariffs
(Credit: Hyundai)

Hyundai Motor Group and Posco Holdings have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on a U.S. steel plant in Louisiana, leveraging a three-month suspension on President Trump’s tariffs. The partnership strengthens Hyundai’s U.S. manufacturing strategy, which includes investing billions into the country to increase production.

Posco will take an equity stake in the Louisiana steel factory, which is set to begin production in 2029 with an annual capacity of 2.7 million tonnes, per a Hyundai Steel regulatory filing. The $5.8 billion project, part of Hyundai’s broader $21 billion U.S. investment unveiled last month with President Donald Trump, may see Posco sell some of the plant’s steel output. The initiative aligns with Hyundai’s efforts to localize production and mitigate tariff impacts.

President Trump imposed 25% tariffs on South Korea this month but paused the levies for three months later. In response to the impending Trump tariffs, Hyundai’s U.S. COO Claudia Marquez launched the Hyundai Assurance Program during the 2025 New York International Auto Show.

“When it comes to the customers, which again is tough and even for us just for planning purposes, what we wanted to make sure is that we have a plan, so we launched our Hyundai Assurance Program, which is confirming and assuring to customers that [prices] are not going to go up, at least this next couple of months,” Marquez said, emphasizing price stability.

Advertisement

Hyundai Motor Group has boosted production in the United States since President Donald Trump was reelected. The South Korean automaker wants to limit the impact of Trump’s tariffs through its plants in the United States, namely the factories in Georgia and Alabama.

“Hyundai Motor and its partners are investing $12.6 billion (18.4 trillion won) in an assembly plant and two battery joint ventures, enabling additional production capacity. The decision to make this investment was made during the first Trump administration,” said Hyundai’s President and CEO Jose Muñoz.

The Posco partnership enhances Hyundai’s supply chain resilience, which is critical as Trump’s tariffs loom. By 2029, the Louisiana plant could reduce reliance on imported steel, aligning with Trump’s domestic production goals. Hyundai’s strategic investments and Assurance Program position it to navigate trade uncertainties while reinforcing its presence in the U.S. market.

Continue Reading

News

Tesla could face emissions credit tax in Washington

Tesla could be subject to a tax on its emissions credit sales in Washington, just ahead of the beginning of the state’s phase-out of gas vehicles.

Published

on

Credit: Tesla

Tesla could face a new tax on the emissions credits it sells to other automakers, as introduced this month by legislators in the state of Washington.

As detailed in an op-ed from the Wall Street Journal on Monday, Democrats in Olympia have filed two companion bills proposing a 10 percent tax on the electric vehicle (EV) emissions credits Tesla sells, valued at roughly $1.79 billion globally last year. The emission credits market was created out of regulations requiring automakers to start phasing out gas vehicles, allowing Tesla, which only makes EVs, to sell the credits to gas automakers which aren’t able to meet the upcoming phase-out goals.

“The creation of these tradeable and bankable credits creates the opportunity for a financial windfall accruing to firms that are not burdened by the legacy production of internal combustion engine vehicle,” legislators wrote in the proposal. “It is the intent of the legislature to address this unintended outcome by taxing the windfall profits.”

Olympia Republicans went on to file a counter to the bill, which would effectively prohibit such a tax as well as “any other tax that applies to only one individual, business, or entity.”

READ MORE ON TESLA EMISSIONS CREDITS: Tesla to help automakers comply with the EU’s 2025 CO2 emission rules

Washington joined California in 2020 in setting regulations to phase out gas vehicles by 2035, requiring a maximum of 20 percent plugin hybrid vehicles sold in the year along with making 80 percent of the year’s sales fully electric. The initial phase-out regulations kick off in 2026, requiring automakers to make 35 percent of their new vehicles fully electric or plugin hybrids, before that level increases to 51 percent in 2028, and 68 percent in 2030.

Tesla’s vehicle sales in Washington made up just 10 percent of those sold in the state last year, while the company has about 54 percent of all emissions credits in the state, according to the Washington Policy Center.

The Wall Street Journal editorial calls the new proposals “abusive lawmaking,” saying that targeting a single company would be strongly opposed by progressives if it were suggested by the Trump administration. Additionally, the op-ed highlights that Tesla and CEO Elon Musk set the price for the emissions credits, meaning that they could simply charge automakers more for them to make up for money lost on the tax.

U.S. Supreme Court to hear challenge on California emission rule waiver

Continue Reading

News

Tesla’s Hollywood Diner is finally getting close to opening

Tesla’s construction of the Southern California diner, drive-in, and Supercharger hasn’t exactly been quick, but it appears to be getting close to opening.

Published

on

Credit: HowardModels | Twitter

Tesla looks to be getting closer to opening its highly anticipated diner, drive-in movie theater, and Supercharger location in Southern California, after the company began construction on the project in the latter part of 2023.

On Sunday, X user BLKMDL3 stopped by the Hollywood Tesla Diner location and shared photos of the site, noting that Superchargers are now lit up, parking lots are fully paved, and construction generally appears to be nearing completion. The news comes after Tesla has been building out the site for around 18 months, which many have pointed out is longer than some of the company’s latest production facilities have taken.

Tesla has yet to disclose when it plans to open the Supercharger location, though it appears to be getting closer than ever, at least as far as construction is concerned. The company also included some code related to integration with the diner in its latest version of the Tesla mobile app in January, along with posting its first job listings for the site in August.

You can see the latest progress on the Tesla Diner below, courtesy of X user BLKMDL3.

Credit: BLKMDL3 | X

Credit: BLKMDL3 | X

Credit: BLKMDL3 | X

READ MORE ON TESLA SUPERCHARGERS: Tesla is building a new UFO-inspired Supercharger in the heart of Alien country

The user also notes that the adjacent parking lot is being built out to include additional Supercharger stalls, with the actual lots for the diner including around 28 to 32 stalls total, consistent with permits for the project. Next door, the user says the company is building roughly an additional 50 or so stalls, though these aren’t likely to be open when the diner initially opens.

The site is located at 7001 West Santa Monica Boulevard, and according to Elon Musk’s original concepts for the Supercharger discussed on what was then Twitter in 2018, the unique charger is set to include a 1950s-style diner with rock and roll and waiters on roller skates, in addition to drive-in theater screens playing scenes from the best movies in history.

Tesla gained a series of construction permits for the project throughout 2023, before officially beginning construction in September 2023. You can see photos from the site below, taken just weeks after groundbreaking, as well as in January and April of last year.

Tesla’s LA Diner and Supercharger in November 2023

Credit: Ed Howard | X

Tesla’s LA Diner and Supercharger in January 2024

Credit: Fox 11 Los Angeles

Credit: ShorealoneFilms | X

Tesla’s LA Diner and Supercharger in April 2024

Credit: 247Tesla | YouTube

Credit: 247Tesla | YouTube

Tesla exec highlights advantages of prefabricated Superchargers

Continue Reading

Trending