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Tesla Model 3 zips through Boring Co. tunnel at 116 mph in latest video
The Boring Company has been busy refining its tunnel technology since unveiling it last December, and a new video shared by venture capitalist and Tesla board member Steve Jurvetson has provided the best encapsulation of the experience yet.
In the video, a Boring Company team member is first seen transporting Jurvetson and another passenger in a Tesla Model 3 onto the system’s elevator entrance while discussing driver options during the journey. “We usually offer a slower ride on Autopilot or a fast ride [with] manual driving,” the driver explained. The group then sped through the tunnel, reaching a maximum 116 mph while crossing the underground distance from the corner of Prairie & 120th Street to the corner of Crenshaw & Rocket Rd in Hawthorne, CA. Total travel time between each of the the tunnel ends was about one minute.
The Model 3 driver also revealed upcoming self-driving options for future Boring tunnel transits. “Right now Autopilot goes up to 90 [mph], and we’re increasing it to 125,” he detailed. The group traveled using the manual driving option in the video, however. Alongside updates to driving options available, a button labeled “Request Departure” was added to initiate the tunnel journey via the all-electric midsize sedan’s touchscreen, and route information was displayed while underground.
Note: The original video referenced was removed from YouTube shortly after this article was published. Another version was uploaded to Twitter and is posted below.
https://twitter.com/tesla_truth/status/1142235000554676224?s=21
As seen in the last Boring update posted in May, the Model 3 in the travel demo was not using the vehicle skates present during the company’s opening party. The traffic-busting tunnel now appears to have a much smoother ride thanks to this change, something Boring Company founder Elon Musk previously explained as, “simple and just works.” This change and other subtle additions and modifications demonstrate both Musk’s and the company’s desire to continuously innovate their technology.
The Boring Company was created as a two-fold answer to frustrating traffic situations. First, it’s an alternative travel route that avoids above-ground congestion; and second, it lowers the cost of tunnel boring technology overall by using new design and engineering approaches to old digging machines. The venture’s one-mile demo tunnel was built for about $10 million dollars as compared to the $500-$1 billion dollars it traditionally costs to dig a tunnel of the same length. Notably, Jurvetson simultaneously shared a few photos of the tunnel boring machine being used for the company’s current projects with his video.
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Bypassing the LA Rush Hour Commute, at 116 MPH, underground.
I took video: https://t.co/ZZmO160INlThe latest iteration on the @BoringCompany masterplan to resolve soul deadening traffic. Did you know that a tunnel is just about the best terrestrial place to be in an earthquake? pic.twitter.com/foNznpdCG9
— Steve Jurvetson (@FutureJurvetson) June 22, 2019
The short Hawthorne-based test tunnel isn’t the only transit project Musk’s underground venture has on its manifest. Last month, board members of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority approved a Boring Company contract to build two tunnels to transport passengers between locations under their convention center. Additionally, an environmental assessment was recently completed for a Boring-built tunnel between Washington DC and Baltimore, Maryland that will enable 15-minute trips between the two destinations. If approved, Hyperloop technology may also be compatible with the system, introducing travel speeds of over 600 mph.
Overall, The Boring Company continues its growth into yet another industry disruption that challenges the status quo. Smoother rides are definitely a step in the right direction, and Autopilot integration seems like a natural fit considering Tesla’s push towards autonomy and long-term vision.
Tesla has started to deploy the 2026 Summer Update to owners across its fleet, and among the biggest changes are improvements to Navigation, a new startup animation for the Model 3 and Model Y, Caraoke scoring, and new capabilities for Grok.
As the update has started making its way to some cars, we can now see a few of the features operating in real-time. We will show you what some of the new features look like in this article, along with some additional details on what changed.
Not all of the new features in the 2026 Summer Update have quite made an appearance, but some of them have, so we’ll show those here:
New Animation Screen for 3/Y
Tesla is rolling out a new startup animation for Tesla Model 3 and Model Y owners. This is present in Launch Edition and Performance Model 3 and Model Y, but other trim levels do not have anything like this.
The new animation screen on Model 3/Y with the 2026 Summer Update
Apparently color will also be customizable: pic.twitter.com/wSdwggtG3S
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 27, 2026
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Owners can adjust the color associated with the startup animation to suit their preferences. It is a surprise that more automakers do not focus on this animation for their vehicles; it can be a great first impression piece and make the car immediately feel more luxurious.
Tesla has included this on more premium trims, but it is nice to see it on the Model 3 and Model Y.
Grok Improvements
Grok can now adjust more things in the car outside of the Navigation system. Now, drivers can adjust anything from climate to driving settings by simply speaking to the AI assistant in the car:
@Tesla‘s AI assistant (Grok) with its new vehicle commands in action.
Set the climate, your destination and vehicle settings all in one go! pic.twitter.com/0bBTqaAk6G
— Not a Tesla App (@NotATeslaApp) July 28, 2026
You don’t even have to push a button, either. Instead, you can just say “Hey, Grok,” if you have it enabled. That feature rolled out with the 2026 Spring Update just a few months back.
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This is a great feature, especially pertinent for the Robotaxi platform, as there will be no buttons inside the Cybercab when it eventually starts giving rides to the public. It also broadens Grok’s capabilities, which were relatively limited in terms of vehicle setting adjustments beforehand.
Tesla briefly offered one Robotaxi part in its Parts Catalog for your personal car, only to remove it just a short time after it was first noticed.
Tesla’s Robotaxi camera washer apparatus was briefly available for purchase on the company’s Online Parts Catalog. The camera washer was first noticed on Model Y Robotaxi vehicles about six months ago in Austin.
🚨 Tesla looks to have installed Camera Washers on the side repeater cameras on Robotaxis in Austin
pic.twitter.com/xemRtDtlRR— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 23, 2026
First noticed by Not a Tesla App, the Camera Washer entries appeared for the new “Juniper” Model Y under a category called “Halo,” which has also now disappeared. Interestingly, Halo probably is related to Tesla’s internal “Project Halo,” which was a project that aimed to retrofit customer-owned Model Ys into functional Robotaxis.
This hardware addition would likely be required for the vehicle to operate as a Robotaxi, as the Camera Washer seems to be a non-negotiable part of the vision-based system Tesla utilizes for self-driving efforts.
However, this part has since been removed and is no longer visible on the EPC.
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Now the true question lingers: Why would Tesla add this Camera Washer to the Model Y parts catalog? Is it planning to make it available for owners to utilize on their own cars for personal use, or will it become a prerequisite for Robotaxi operation in customer-owned cars?
While discussing the upgrade options for Hardware 3 vehicles during the Q1 Earnings Call, Tesla CEO Elon Musk had said that the company could establish small, satellite shops that would upgrade cameras and self-driving computers. Perhaps this same strategy could be utilized for vehicles that want to be included in Robotaxi but do not have the correct hardware.
AI4 is currently represented as capable of unsupervised self-driving, and the same was said about HW3 at one point, only for Tesla to admit last quarter that it would, unfortunately, not be possible. Perhaps AI4 vehicles might need this camera washer as a prerequisite, just as HW3 cars will need that camera and computer upgrade.
This could be the first hint of that’s where we are headed.
Tesla has started rolling out a broader change to the ride experience for its Robotaxi fleet by silencing turn signals, but the change is certainly polarizing.
Tesla has generally made it clear that its purpose-built ride-hailing platform, Robotaxi, will cater to the rider in nearly every way possible. This includes having climate preferences, music, and other personal settings loaded up in the car as the rider enters.
But Tesla is taking it a step further by muting turn signal chimes altogether, a change that appears to be a way to make the ride more peaceful:
Tesla has finally turned off the blinker/turn signal noises in their Model Y Robotaxis.
This is a small update, but will definitely be noticeable for riders. It didn’t really make much sense to leave the turn signal sound on when it’s Unsupervised. pic.twitter.com/ITwx60PAMO
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) July 27, 2026
However, there are a handful of people who are not thrilled about this change. Turn signals are a conditioned part of the human mind for those who ride in a car regularly.
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Taking a turn without one feels strange and odd, and not hearing it click while activated could set off some alarms for riders, who might use the noise as confirmation that other drivers know of their intention to turn.
I kind of like it being on, threw me off when riding with Zoox who has had it disabled
— Dan Burkland (@DBurkland) July 27, 2026
Turn signal noises are still audible in customer cars, so if you use FSD in your personal vehicle, you will still hear the turn signal.
The move is certainly one that is unique, but not one that separates it from other ride-sharing services. In a normal car, the clicking sound confirms to the driver that the blinker is active. In a fully driverless Robotaxi, that feedback serves no purpose for passengers, other than peace of mind.
Tesla Summer Update begins rolling out: a look at the new features
Tesla briefly offered this Robotaxi part for your personal car
