Tesla’s Musk Makes a Big Move on the Las Vegas Strip – TheStreet

Elon Musk and Las Vegas fit in the way that oddities like Carrot Top and Tape Face have made the city their home.

Things that seem odd elsewhere fit easily in Las Vegas. Musk, despite being one of the richest men in the world (sometimes the richest), stands out in most places -- but not in a city full of showgirls, Naked Cowboys, and whatever Wayne Newton is.

A legitimate genius, the Tesla (TSLA) - Get Tesla Inc Report chief executive has never been a one-trick pony. He has an entire company, SpaceX, that would certify him as a visionary were that the only brand he had created. Musk has been so innovative in the electric-vehicle sector that it has changed the entire industry.

Electric cars will replace internal combustion engines much sooner than they would have had Musk not disrupted the industry. That has happened despite, or perhaps because of, Musk being -- let's call him a nontraditional CEO.

If Ford's (F) - Get Ford Motor Company Report CEO, Jim Farley, challenged Vladimir Putin to a duel, it would not be as readily accepted as when Musk did it, and the entire world started handicapping what that fight might look like.

Musk may not live in Las Vegas, but he feels like a classic Las Vegas character: bigger than life, a little odd, but so compelling you can't look away.

Now, the Tesla and SpaceX boss wants to make his mark on Sin City not with rockets, EVs, or solar panels, but with the core product of his third company.

Image source: Michael A. McCoy/Getty

Musk's Boring Co. digs tunnels under the Earth faster than traditional methods enable. The company has made defeating traffic its core mission, which it explains on its website.

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"To solve the problem of soul-destroying traffic, roads must go 3D, which means either flying cars or tunnels are needed. Unlike flying cars, tunnels are weatherproof, out of sight, and won't fall on your head. Tunnels minimize usage of valuable surface land and do not conflict with existing transportation systems. A large network of tunnels can alleviate congestion in any city; no matter how large a city grows, more levels of tunnels can be added.

If you have spent any time on the Las Vegas Strip, you fully understand the statement above. It's a road that's often gridlocked and construction has even made walking difficult. There's no straight path for people walking -- you have to climb stairs or take escalators at various intersections -- and it's generally not pleasant on foot or by car.

Musk has a plan to solve that and beat what on Twitter he has called "the ultimate boss battle."

Boring Co. already has a tunnel in Las Vegas, under the convention center. Call it a proof of concept, but the 1.7-mile route does not really solve a traffic problem because it replaces a walking route. It basically has people wait in line to be driven in a Tesla, which is cool, but the problem could have been solved with a moving sidewalk for a whole lot less money.

Now, however, Boring Co. has another tunnel in Las Vegas and it's far less ridiculous. This new tunnel runs from the new Resorts World Las Vegas, a casino/hotel on the Las Vegas Strip, to the convention center. That's a solution that actually solves a problem and makes life easier for people looking to get from The Strip property to the convention center.

Resorts World General Manager Scott Sibella told the Nevada Gaming Commission on March 17 that the project would open soon, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. And while this piece of the project is modest, Musk and Boring Co.'s plan is far-reaching.

"Sibella described the Boring tunnel project as the first connection between a resort and the Convention Center in what is expected to be a part of a 29-mile, 51-station underground transit system within the resort corridor," he said.

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Tesla's Musk Makes a Big Move on the Las Vegas Strip - TheStreet