Elon Musk’s The Boring Company has filed an application with the city of Austin to build a tunnel under Tesla’s Gigafactory Texas in Austin. The application, which Electrek first reported on, does not state what Tesla intends to do with the tunnel.
The application was filed on June 21, 2022, and although it doesn’t specifically mention Giga Texas, the address on the filing is listed as 12733 Tesla Road, which is located at the north end of the complex.
The project, called the “Colorado River Connector Tunnel,” involves a “private access tunnel along with associated improvements,” so perhaps Musk wants a secret road to enter his giant factory. Or maybe he’s looking for a way to travel between companies with stealth.
After raising a $675 million funding round, The Boring Company (TBC) recently moved its headquarters to Pflugerville, just northeast of Austin, and the company has reportedly been in talks about certain projects in Texas. This is, however, the first time TBC has filed a building permit application.
The filing contains little information, but it does suggest that the tunnel length will be about two miles and located in an area that’s outside Austin’s city limits but where the city can still regulate activities.
In May, TBC got approval from the city of Kyle, which is south of Austin, to begin feasibility studies on an underground pedestrian tunnel there that would link a retail development with a housing development.
Earlier this month, TBC received approval to expand its tunnels underneath Las Vegas into a 34-mile network. This builds off the company’s “loop” in Vegas, which is a system of tunnels in which Teslas move people between stations to avoid surface traffic — like a subway but bougier.
