The Boring Company is expected to purchase 1.3 acres of land near the Thomas & Mack Center from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Located on the corner of Tropicana Avenue and University Center Drive, the property, which currently serves as a parking lot, is expected to host a Vegas Loop station.
A land agreement is set for review at the meeting of the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) Board of Regents on March 9. If approved, the Boring Company Loop station will “provide service from the UNLV campus to multiple destinations, which will likely include the convention center, Las Vegas Boulevard, and possibly Allegiant Stadium, Harry Reid International Airport, and LVMD,” as per a briefing paper on the proposed project.
NSHE documents suggest that The Boring Company initiated the land deal as part of its efforts to build out the Vegas Loop system. The Boring Company is determined to purchase the parcel of land at a fair price. “The sale price will be no less than the appraised value of the property, to be determined by a licensed real estate appraiser(s), in accordance with Board of Regents’ policies and procedures,” the document read.
The briefing paper on the Loop station also highlighted a key benefit for the proposed Vegas Loop station, particularly for UNLV students. “The location of a Vegas Loop station on the Property will provide students with another transportation option for accessing employment centers throughout the Las Vegas valley,” the paper read.
Provided that the proposal is approved, the purchase and sale agreement for the upcoming Vegas Loop station will be completed sometime in June. The ULNV station could serve as a connector to Allegiant Stadium and the Las Vegas Convention Center once the Vegas Loop is built out further, as noted in a report from the Las Vegas Sun.
The filing also noted that the Vegas Loop system has earned a gold standard award from the US Department of Homeland Security. This is an important designation, as the system requires Homeland Security approval for SEAR Level 1 events, as noted in a Las Vegas Review-Journal report. SEAR Level 1 represents the highest threat level classification for an event, such as the Super Bowl.
“Clark County and the City of Las Vegas voted unanimously to support the Vegas Loop transportation system. The Vegas Loop project also received a “gold standard” award from Homeland Security. The Vegas Loop stations and tunnels will have security cameras that will be monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The system will serve as a personalized mass transit option consisting of 69 planned stations incorporated into a 65-mile tunnel system. As now envisioned, once fully operational, the Vegas Loop system will serve up to 57,000 passengers per hour at a sample fare rate of $6.00 to $12.00,” the document read.
The Boring Company’s Vegas Loop is expected to comprise 69 stations throughout Las Vegas Boulevard, downtown Las Vegas, and other notable locations. The Las Vegas Convention Center, which already hosts a working Loop system, is expected to serve as a central charging station for the Teslas used in the transportation network.
Below is the briefing paper for the Vegas Loop station.
BFF-12 by Maria Merano on Scribd
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Elon Musk
Elon Musk reiterates Tesla Optimus’ most sci-fi potential yet
Musk shared his comments in a series of posts on social media platform X.
Elon Musk recently reiterated one of the most ambitious forecasts for Tesla’s humanoid robot, Optimus, stating it could become the first real-world example of a Von Neumann machine. He also noted once more that Optimus would be Tesla’s biggest product.
Musk shared his comments in a series of posts on social media platform X.
Optimus as a von Neumann machine
In response to a post on X that pondered on sci-fi timelines becoming real, Musk wrote that “Optimus will be the first Von Neumann machine, capable of building civilization by itself on any viable planet.” In a separate post, Musk wrote that Optimus will be Tesla’s “biggest product ever,” a phrase he has used in the past to describe the humanoid robot’s importance to the electric vehicle maker.
A Von Neumann machine is a class of theoretical self-replicating systems originally proposed in the mid-20th century by the mathematician John von Neumann. In his concept, von Neumann described machines that could travel to other worlds, use local materials to create copies of themselves, and carry out large-scale tasks without outside intervention.
Elon Musk’s broader plans
Considering Musk’s comments, it appears that Optimus would eventually be capable of performing complex work autonomously in environments beyond Earth. If Optimus could achieve such a feat, it could very well unlock humanity’s capability to explore locations beyond Earth. The idea of space exploration becomes more than feasible.
Elon Musk has discussed space-based AI compute, large-scale robotic production, and the role of SpaceX’s Starship in transporting hardware and materials to other planets. While Musk did not detail how Optimus would fit with SpaceX’s exploration activities, his Von Neumann machine comments suggest he is looking at Tesla’s robotics as part of a potential interplanetary ecosystem.
News
Tesla China January wholesale sales rise 9% year-on-year
Tesla reported January wholesale sales of 69,129 China-made vehicles, as per data released by the China Passenger Car Association.
Tesla China reported January wholesale sales of 69,129 Giga Shanghai-made vehicles, as per data released by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA). The figure includes both domestic sales and exports from Gigafactory Shanghai.
The total represented a 9.32% increase from January last year but a 28.86% decline from December’s 97,171 units.
China EV market trends
The CPCA estimated that China’s passenger new energy vehicle wholesale volume reached about 900,000 units in January, up 1% year-on-year but down 42% from December. Demand has been pressured by the start-of-year slow season, a 5% additional purchase tax cost, and uncertainty around the transition of vehicle trade-in subsidies, as noted in a report from CNEV Post.
Market leader BYD sold 210,051 NEVs in January, down 30.11% year-on-year and 50.04% month-on-month, as per data released on February 1. Tesla China’s year-over-year growth then is quite interesting, as the company’s vehicles seem to be selling very well despite headwinds in the market.
Tesla China’s strategies
To counter weaker seasonal demand, Tesla China launched a low-interest financing program on January 6, offering up to seven-year terms on select produced vehicles. The move marked the first time an automaker offered financing of that length in the Chinese market.
Several rivals, including Xiaomi, Li Auto, XPeng, and NIO, later introduced similar incentives. Tesla China then further increased promotions on January 26 by reinstating insurance subsidies for the Model 3 sedan. The CPCA is expected to release Tesla’s China retail sales and export breakdown later this month.
News
Tesla’s Apple CarPlay ambitions are not dead, they’re still in the works
For what it’s worth, as a Tesla owner, I don’t particularly see the need for CarPlay, as I have found the in-car system that the company has developed to be superior. However, many people are in love with CarPlay simply because, when it’s in a car that is capable, it is really great.
Tesla’s Apple CarPlay ambitions appeared to be dead in the water after a large amount of speculation late last year that the company would add the user interface seemed to cool down after several weeks of reports.
However, it appears that CarPlay might make its way to Tesla vehicles after all, as a recent report seems to indicate that it is still being worked on by software teams for the company.
The real question is whether it is truly needed or if it is just a want by so many owners that Tesla is listening and deciding to proceed with its development.
Back in November, Bloomberg reported that Tesla was in the process of testing Apple CarPlay within its vehicles, which was a major development considering the company had resisted adopting UIs outside of its own for many years.
Nearly one-third of car buyers considered the lack of CarPlay as a deal-breaker when buying their cars, a study from McKinsey & Co. outlined. This could be a driving decision in Tesla’s inability to abandon the development of CarPlay in its vehicles, especially as it lost a major advantage that appealed to consumers last year: the $7,500 EV tax credit.
Tesla owners propose interesting theory about Apple CarPlay and EV tax credit
Although we saw little to no movement on it since the November speculation, Tesla is now reportedly in the process of still developing the user interface. Mark Gurman, a Bloomberg writer with a weekly newsletter, stated that CarPlay is “still in the works” at Tesla and that more concrete information will be available “soon” regarding its development.
While Tesla already has a very capable and widely accepted user interface, CarPlay would still be an advantage, considering many people have used it in their vehicles for years. Just like smartphones, many people get comfortable with an operating system or style and are resistant to using a new one. This could be a big reason for Tesla attempting to get it in their own cars.
Tesla gets updated “Apple CarPlay” hack that can work on new models
For what it’s worth, as a Tesla owner, I don’t particularly see the need for CarPlay, as I have found the in-car system that the company has developed to be superior. However, many people are in love with CarPlay simply because, when it’s in a car that is capable, it is really great.
It holds one distinct advantage over Tesla’s UI in my opinion, and that’s the ability to read and respond to text messages, which is something that is available within a Tesla, but is not as user-friendly.
With that being said, I would still give CarPlay a shot in my Tesla. I didn’t particularly enjoy it in my Bronco Sport, but that was because Ford’s software was a bit laggy with it. If it were as smooth as Tesla’s UI, which I think it would be, it could be a really great addition to the vehicle.
Elon Musk reiterates Tesla Optimus’ most sci-fi potential yet
Tesla China January wholesale sales rise 9% year-on-year
