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The Boring Company to connect Brightline to Fort Lauderdale Beach in 3 mins
The Boring Company’s (TBC) unsolicited proposal to Fort Lauderdale for a Las Olas Loop was recently made public, revealing some more details about the Miami tunnel project.
The Boring Company submitted an unsolicited proposal for the Las Olas Loop in Fort Lauderdale on June 21, 2021, paying a $25,000 fee to the city. Full details of the proposal were kept confidential according to state law until recently, when confidentiality rules expired.
As per The Next Miami (TNM), TBC proposed a tunnel system that would bring passengers from Fort Lauderdale to the beach in 3 minutes. Similar to the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) Loop in Sin City, Fort Lauderdale’s Las Olas Loop will use Teslas to transport passengers through the system. The Tesla cars will be moving at an average speed of 50 miles per hour, as per the proposal.
The Boring Company leaves room for expanding the Las Olas Loop in its proposal through Brightline stations, specifically one located in Fort Lauderdale at 101 NW 2nd Avenue. For the Las Olas Loop expansion, TBC proposed potential stations in the following locations:
- FLL Airport
- The proposed Brightline Station next to FLL Airport
- Port Everglades
- The resorts area
- Fort Lauderdale Tri-Rail station
- The Galleria mall
- Carter Park
- DRV PNK Stadium
Las Olas, Downtown Fort Lauderdale, and Lauderdale Beach are within range of the Brightline station via bike or rideshare. The Fort Lauderdale Brightline station also provides passengers access to the Museum of Discovery and Science, The Broward Center for the Performing Arts, and NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale. Brightline has lines in Miami and West-Palm-Beach as well, with plans to add an Orlando station soon.
TBC offered to build the initial tunnel system of the Las Olas Loop at its own expense, guaranteeing a solid maximum price. The city can opt to repay the tunneling company in installments. Fort Lauderdale sent a letter to Governor Ron DeSantis requesting state funding for the Boring Company tunnel earlier this year.
In the letter, Vice Mayor Heather Moraitis wrote that the city has welcomed an influx of new residents who decided to make Fort Lauderdale their new home after feeling the effects of the pandemic. She disclosed that the Florida Office of Economic and Demographic Research (EDR) projects the city will add 845 residents daily until 2025.
The city’s growth will likely sprout some challenges, including traffic congestion. Moraitis wrote that traditional solutions might not resolve future traffic challenges and sought support for Fort Lauderale’s TBC Las Olas Loop.
“Building more bridges will congest our approximately 165 miles of intercoastal waterways, frustrate our marine industry and our commuters. While increasing rail options are a good thing, piling on top of current infrastructure doesn’t make long-term sense. Tunneling is that cost-effective and cutting-edge solution,” wrote Moraitis in the letter to Gov. DeSantis.
Last month, the Fort Lauderdale Commission voted to move toward the next step in The Boring Company project. The vote allows for more detailed negotiations with TBC about the Las Olas Loop.
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Tesla celebrates 75k Superchargers, less than 5 months since 70k-stall milestone
Tesla’s 75,000th stall is hosted at the South Hobart Smart Store on Cascade Road, South Hobart, Tasmania.
Tesla has crossed another major charging milestone by officially installing its 75,000th Supercharger stall worldwide. The electric vehicle maker chose South Hobart, Tasmania, as the commemorative location of its 75,000th Supercharger.
Tesla’s 75,000th Supercharger
Tesla’s 75,000th stall is hosted at the South Hobart Smart Store on Cascade Road, South Hobart, TAS 7004, as noted in a techAU report. The location features four next-generation V4 Superchargers, which are built with longer cables that should make it easy even for non-Teslas to use the rapid charger. The site also includes simplified payment options, aligning with Tesla’s push to make V4 stations more accessible to a broader set of drivers.
For Tasmanian EV owners, the installation fills an important regional gap, improving long-distance coverage around Hobart and strengthening the area’s appeal for mainland travelers traveling by electric vehicle. Similar to other commemorative Superchargers, the 70,000th stall is quite special as it is finished in Glacier Blue paint. Tesla’s 50,000th stall, which is in California, is painted a stunning red, and the 60,000th stall, which is in Japan, features unique origami-inspired graphics.
Accelerating Supercharger milestones
The Tesla Supercharger’s pace of expansion shows no signs of slowing. Tesla celebrated its 70,000th stall at a 12-stall site in Burleson, Texas late June 2025. Just eight months earlier, Tesla announced that it had celebrated the buildout of its 60,000th Supercharger, which was built in Enshu Morimachi, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.
Tesla’s Supercharger Network also recently received accolades in the United Kingdom, with the 2025 Zapmap survey naming the rapid charging system as the Best Large EV Charging Network for the second year in a row. Survey respondents praised the Supercharger Network for its ease of use, price, and reliability, which is best-in-class. The fact that the network has also been opened for non-Teslas is just icing on the cake.
News
Luminar-Volvo breakdown deepens as lidar maker warns of potential bankruptcy
The automaker stated that Luminar failed to meet contractual obligations.
Luminar’s largest customer, Volvo, has canceled a key five-year contract as the lidar supplier warned investors that it might be forced to file for bankruptcy. The automaker stated that Luminar failed to meet contractual obligations, escalating a dispute already unfolding as Luminar defaults on loans, undergoes layoffs, and works to sell portions of the business.
Volvo pulls back on Luminar
In a statement to TechCrunch, Volvo stated that Luminar’s failure to deliver its contractual obligations was a key driver of the cancellation of the contract. “Volvo Cars has made this decision to limit the company’s supply chain risk exposure and it is a direct result of Luminar’s failure to meet its contractual obligations to Volvo Cars,” Volvo noted in a statement.
The rift marked a notable turn for the two companies, whose relationship dates back several years. Volvo invested in Luminar early and helped push its sensors into production programs, while Luminar’s technology bolstered the credibility of Volvo’s safety-focused autonomous driving plans. Volvo’s partnership also supported Luminar’s 2020 SPAC listing, which briefly made founder Austin Russell one of the youngest self-made billionaires in the industry.
Damaged Volvo relations
The damaged Volvo partnership comes during a critical period for Luminar. The company has defaulted on several loans and warned investors that bankruptcy remains a possibility if restructuring discussions fall through. To conserve cash, Luminar has cut 25% of its workforce and is exploring strategic alternatives, including partial or full asset sales.
One potential buyer is founder Austin Russell, who resigned as CEO in May amid a board-initiated ethics inquiry. The company is also the subject of an ongoing SEC investigation.
Luminar, for its part, also noted in a filing that it had “made a claim against Volvo for significant damages” and “suspended further commitments of Iris” for the carmaker. “The Company is in discussions with Volvo concerning the dispute; however, there can be no assurance that the dispute will be resolved favorably or at all,” the lidar maker stated.
News
Elon Musk says he’s open to powering Apple’s Siri with xAI’s Grok
Siri, one of the first intelligent AI assistants in the market, has become widely outdated and outperformed by rivals over the years.
Elon Musk says he’s willing to help Apple overhaul Siri by integrating xAI’s Grok 4.1, igniting widespread excitement and speculations about a potential collaboration between the two tech giants.
Siri, one of the first intelligent AI assistants in the market, has become widely outdated and outperformed by rivals over the years.
Musk open to an Apple collaboration
Musk’s willingness to team up with Apple surfaced after an X user suggested replacing Siri with Grok 4.1 to modernize the AI assistant. The original post criticized Siri’s limitations and urged Apple to adopt a more advanced AI system. “It’s time for Apple to team up with xAI and actually fix Siri. Replace that outdated, painfully dumb assistant with Grok 4.1. Siri deserves to be Superintelligent,” the X user wrote.
Musk quoted the post, responding with, “I’m down.” Musk’s comment quickly attracted a lot of attention among X’s users, many of whom noted that a Grok update to Siri would be appreciated because Apple’s AI assistant has legitimately become terrible in recent years. Others also noted that Grok, together with Apple’s potential integration of Starlink connectivity, would make iPhones even more compelling.
Grok promises major Siri upgrades
The enthusiasm stems largely from Grok 4.1’s technical strengths, which include stronger reasoning and improved creative output. xAI also designed the model to reduce hallucinations, as noted in a Reality Tea report. Supporters believe these improvements could address Apple’s reported challenges developing its own advanced AI systems, giving Siri the upgrade many users have waited years for.
Reactions ranged from humorous to hopeful, with some users joking that Siri would finally “wake up with a personality” if paired with Grok. Siri, after all, was a trailblazer in voice assistants, but it is currently dominated by rivals in terms of features and capabilities. Grok could change that, provided that Apple is willing to collaborate with Elon Musk’s xAI.
Tesla celebrates 75k Superchargers, less than 5 months since 70k-stall milestone
Luminar-Volvo breakdown deepens as lidar maker warns of potential bankruptcy
