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The Boring Company (TBC) is an American construction and equipment startup founded by Elon Musk. Its name is a deliberate pun, with “boring” meaning the act of tunneling underground rather than dull or drab. The company aims to do away with urban congestion by enabling high-speed, point-to-point travel networks beneath city streets.
What Does the Boring Company Do?
The Boring Company builds underground tunnels for high-speed transportation, as well as its own tunneling machines. The company’s goal is to reduce traffic congestion by shuttling people through these tunnels in autonomous electric vehicles.
Musk started the Boring Company in 2017 after venting about Los Angeles traffic on Twitter. “Traffic is driving me nuts,” he wrote. “Am going to build a tunnel boring machine and just start digging…” And, unlike some of the tech mogul’s other more whimsical ideas — like launching a candy company or building a cyborg dragon — this one actually stuck.
Today, the Boring Company is valued at nearly $6 billion and has completed two projects — one of which, the Las Vegas Convention Center Loop, is open to the public. The company is currently seeking regulatory approval for a similar system beneath LA’s Dodger Stadium, and recently signed a contract for its first international project in Dubai.
What Is the Boring Company?
The Boring Company is a Texas-based startup that builds underground tunnel systems known as “Loops” to alleviate traffic congestion in big cities. Founded by Elon Musk, TBC started off as a subsidiary of SpaceX (Musk’s aerospace company), and then was spun off as a separate entity in 2018. Its ultimate vision includes high-seed, fully autonomous vehicles that shuttle passengers around on narrow, single-lane tracks under the earth. Current projects utilize modified Teslas at lower speeds.
In addition to fixed-route transit systems, the Boring Company also builds its own custom excavation equipment and handles its own tunnel construction. Its proprietary machines are designed to bore faster and more efficiently than conventional designs, enabling narrow, electric-vehicle-only tunnels and sub-surface stations that fit below existing above-ground infrastructure.
The Boring Company’s Core Technology
At the heart of the Boring Company’s operations is its tunneling technology. These massive, cylindrical machines — known as tunnel boring machines, or TBMs — slowly grind through soil and rock using a rotating cutterhead. As they advance, they simultaneously install precast concrete tunnel linings and remove debris along conveyor-belts, reducing the need for multiple work phases. Ultimately, the goal is to create a machine that operates continuously, minimizing the downtime typically needed for things like wall reinforcement or part replacements.
So far the company has developed three generations of TBMs: a standard model named Godot, followed by two custom-built machines, Line-storm and Prufrock. The latest iteration, Prufrock, is designed to tunnel at a speed of one mile per week, which is six times faster than its predecessor. Although this is still four to five times slower than a garden snail, according to the company, the hope is that this technology could one day be used to dig infrastructure on Mars as well as Earth.
Another key part of the Boring Company’s success is that it is a vertically integrated company. Because it designs and builds much of its own machinery in-house, it can iterate more quickly and maintain more control over costs, timelines and overall performance.
One of the biggest innovations the Boring Company has made thus far is its reduction of standard tunnel diameters (28ft), which it has managed to cut nearly in half. This smaller diameter size significantly lowers the amount of material that needs to be excavated, which in turn cuts overall construction costs. As a result, TBC claims its in-house technology can bore tunnels for as little as $10 million — a fraction of the $1 billion-dollar-per-mile price tag for conventional urban tunneling projects.
The Boring Company’s Key Projects and Pilots
The Boring Company portfolio includes a wide range of tunnel-based transit projects — and, for reasons known only to Musk, also features a flamethrower and a unisex fragrance. Below, we take a look at some of the company’s most talked-about ventures so far, from completed tunnels to scrapped ideas to projects that are still in the works.
Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) Loop
Status: Complete; Open to the public
Opened in June 2021, the LVCC Loop is The Boring Company’s first operational passenger tunnel system. It links three stations across the Las Vegas Convention Center via two 0.8-mile tunnels, where passengers are transported in human-driven Teslas. Designed to alleviate foot traffic during large events, the system is currently capable of transporting a peak capacity of 4,500 people per hour. The LVCC cuts a 45-minute cross-campus journey to about two minutes, according to the company’s website.
Hyperloop
Status: Under construction; Test track complete
Hyperloop is The Boring Company’s concept for an ultra-high-speed public transit system, designed to carry passengers in autonomous electric pods at more than 600 miles per hour. Unlike the slower, short-range Loop system, Hyperloop aims to connect distant cities via near-vacuum tunnels to dramatically cut travel times. According to TBC, a Hyperloop trip from Washington D.C. to New York would take less than 30 minutes, and a trip from D.C. to Baltimore would take less than 8 minutes.
A 0.8-mile test tunnel — known as the Hypertube — was completed in 2016 and has hosted multiple student competitions, with prototype pods reaching speeds up to 288 mph. Though the test track is complete, the project remains in development as the company continues to work with city governments and private partners to assess the technology’s feasibility in real-world settings.
Vegas Loop
Status: Under construction
The Vegas Loop is an add-on to the LVCC Loop that connects high-traffic destinations like the Strip, Harry Reid International Airport, Allegiant Stadium and downtown Las Vegas. Approved for up to 68 miles of tunnels and more than 100 stations, the Vegas Loop is being built in stages, gradually expanding as it gains support from local stakeholders like casinos and hotels. Several sections are already under construction, and once complete, the privately operated system aims to move more than 90,000 passengers per hour — offering fast, traffic-free rides separate from the city’s public transit network.
R&D Tunnel
Status: Complete
Now defunct, this 1.14-mile tunnel beneath Hawthorne, California operated as a testing ground for tunneling methods and early versions of the Loop and Hyperloop systems. Completed in 2018, it began at the SpaceX headquarters and featured a 12-foot internal diameter, as well as three stops — one of which was the small surface-level O’Leary Station. With testing now wrapped, the tunnel has since been decommissioned and paved over for parking. Although the R&D tunnel was never meant for public use, it served as a proof of concept and helped shape future projects like the LVCC and Vegas Loops.
Dubai Loop
Status: Pre-construction
In February 2025, The Boring Company secured a contract to construct a 17-kilometer underground loop system in Dubai, marking its first international project. In alignment with smart city initiatives, the loop will feature 11 stations, transporting 20,000 passengers per hour at 100-mph speeds. The project remains in the early planning phase, so details around timelines, funding and regulatory approvals are yet to be finalized.
How Does the Boring Company’s Loop System Work?
The Loop is an underground, all-electric transportation system designed to move passengers through tunnels using electric vehicles — primarily modified Teslas, which (for now) are driven by humans. Passengers enter a station, and board a Tesla, which is then lowered to a single-lane tunnel. From there, the vehicle travels directly to the destination under funky, disco lighting.
This is different from the Hyperloop concept, which envisions high-speed travel in near-vacuum tubes reaching speeds over 600 mph. The Loop operates at more moderate speeds — around 35-40 mph — in standard-pressure tunnels. It’s meant for short-distance, last-mile trips rather than intercity travel.
The Loop aims to go beyond traditional subway systems, offering a faster, more personalized experience. Unlike subways, which run on fixed steel rails with scheduled stops at designated stations, the Loop uses individual EVs that travel along guided pathways, providing direct, point-to-point service with no intermediate stops or alternate routes. While both systems help reduce emissions and ease above-ground traffic congestion, the Loop aims to combine the convenience of a personal car experience with the accessibility and efficiency of public transit.
Questions Surrounding the Boring Company
Many transit experts question the Boring Company’s approach altogether. Simply put: Individual cars transporting parties one at a time simply can’t match the capacity of conventional subways or light rail, so why bother?
A 2020 report from The Verge found that, despite claims of moving thousands of passengers in Las Vegas, the Loop’s throughput is significantly lower than mass transit alternatives — and may even have to be, according to fire regulations. As one critic put it, “Tunnels full of cars are not feasible … cars in tunnels will never be able to transport as many people as a subway train.”
Questions have also surfaced regarding the company’s use of public contracts and oversight. The Las Vegas Convention Center Loop received nearly $48.7 million in public funds, but, as a privately operated project, it is exempt from standard safeguards — like open bidding, transit-agency review and several environmental checks — that are typically required for public transit projects. In Los Angeles, a proposed Sepulveda tunnel was canceled after neighbors sued, alleging the project dodged environmental impact analysis.
And to be fair, the Boring Company doesn’t have the best track record on the regulatory front, having been cited for multiple environmental and safety violations. For example, Nevada regulators fined the company more than $112,000 following incidents of chemical burns, tunnel flooding and untreated wastewater discharge. In Texas, work began near Bastrop without proper erosion controls or permits, adding an additional $11,800 to its tab of regulatory fines and spurring local outcry.
The Boring Company’s Future Outlook and Expansion Plans
The Boring Company has an ambitious growth roadmap, with potential projects underway all over the world, but primarily in the United States. In Nashville, the company is in talks with state officials to construct a tunnel system connecting the city’s downtown area to its international airport. And after being pushed out of West Los Angeles, the company is now focused on building underground transit solutions around Dodger Stadium. Of course, all of these projects hinge on the company’s ability to navigate local regulations.
To support these expansions, the Boring Company is continuing to develop more advanced tunneling technology. Its latest, Prufrock-3 (nicknamed “The Monster”) is designed to dig tunnels without any site preparation. Even newer versions, Prufrock 4 and 5, are reportedly even better, but they have not yet been deployed. Another notable advancement is the company’s Zero-People-in-Tunnel technique, which enables continuous tunneling operations without any human presence inside the machine.
Elon Musk’s extracurricular involvement in U.S. politics may also influence the Boring Company’s future. His brief stint at the helm of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, and (now strained) relationship with President Donald Trump likely eased access to previous regulatory approval hurdles, and may have helped put the company in the running for big-ticket engineering contracts — most notably a multi-billion-dollar Amtrak project that will connect Baltimore to Washington D.C. and Virginia.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Boring Company do?
The Boring Company (TBC) builds underground transportation tunnels. It also develops its own custom tunneling machines, with the goal of lowering the cost and time of tunnel construction with innovations like reduced tunnel diameters and continuous digging technology. Ultimately, TBC aims to reduce urban congestion with a network of high-speed, point-to-point transit systems called “Loops,” where autonomous electric vehicles shuttle passengers through narrow tunnels beneath cities. Although these plans are still largely speculative, the company has completed a project in Las Vegas, and is pursuing several projects in cities like Nashville, Los Angeles and Dubai.
Does the Boring Company make money?
The Boring Company is a private, independent company, so its financials are not publicly available, but it appears to make money by selling its technology and services to governments and businesses for infrastructure projects. It also generates revenue by collecting fares for rides within its Las Vegas Convention Center Loop. In 2018, the company also briefly sold limited-edition flamethrowers — all 20,000 of which were sold in just five days.
Is the Boring Company part of Tesla?
No. While the Boring Company and Tesla do collaborate on projects, they are two completely separate companies.
Where are the Boring Company Tunnels located?
The only publicly accessible tunnel developed by the Boring Company is located in Las Vegas, Nevada.
How fast do the cars in the Loop system travel?
At the moment, cars in the Boring Company’s Loop cannot drive faster than 40 mph. Eventually, the company says vehicles will be able to travel at speeds of up to 150 mph.
What is the difference between Loop and Hyperloop?
The Loop is intended for transport within a city, whereas the Hyperloop is for transport between different cities.
