Earlier this month, The Boring Company posted an image of its Prufrock-3 TBM undergoing final checks on “The Monster,” which was already tilted downwards. The Monster is a machine that is capable of launching and retrieving Prufrock, allowing The Boring Company to start excavating tunnels very quickly.

As noted by Elon Musk in his recent post, the capability to start digging tunnels with no prior site preparation is a “really big deal.” While such innovations will indeed make the construction of The Boring Company’s transport tunnels quicker, some users on X speculated that the technology may also be used by Musk’s companies for future Mars missions.

The new tunnel boring machine designed by @boringcompany engineers can immediately start digging a tunnel anywhere with no prior site preparation (this is a really big deal) https://t.co/08zbixZ6Lk

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 22, 2024

Musk, after all, recently noted that he expects uncrewed Starship flights to be possible within the next two years. When asked about the payload of Starship’s uncrewed flights, Musk noted that the spacecraft would be transporting Tesla Cybertrucks and Optimus robots to start.

Using Prufrock machines to dig tunnels in Mars would certainly be an interesting idea, but SpaceX, Tesla, and The Boring Company would have to work very hard on the logistics of transporting a TBM to the red planet. Musk, after all, has previously noted that Starship could support payloads of 250 to 300 tons to orbit in expendable mode. The Boring Company’s Purfrock-4 TBM weighs close to 400 tons.

Prufrock-3 has been captured by “The Monster” inside Giga Texas! The Monster is then driven to the next tunnel site, where it tilts downwards and launches Prufrock directly into the ground. Enables Prufrock to launch in < 24 hours. pic.twitter.com/oqtImRq1qF

— The Boring Company (@boringcompany) June 12, 2024

The Boring Company has very ambitious long-term targets for its Prufrock TBM series. As per the tunneling startup, Prufrock is eventually expected to achieve a digging speed greater than 1 mile per week. So far, The Boring Company appears to be building Prufrock-4 and Prufrock-5, both of which will likely exceed the performance of Prufrock-3, which was used in Tesla’s Giga Texas’ tunnel.

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In a video update posted by Giga Texas observer and drone pilot Brad Sloan on Saturday, you can see workers painting the interior walls of the Boring Company’s so-called “Cybertunnel,” as the company nears completion. Running beneath the 130 Highway at the Austin, Texas factory, the Boring Company first began construction on the underground tunnel in March, and Elon Musk has previously said that it will be used to transport Cybertrucks from the factory to the outbound lot, where hauling trucks will pick them up for shipping.

The video also shows several other construction updates around the Giga Texas grounds, including the addition of more glass panels, and apparent tests of the water cooling towers set to be used by the on-site supercomputing cluster, dubbed Cortex. You can see a few photos from the video below, or check out Brad’s full 14-minute update here.

Credit: Brad Sloan | YouTube

Credit: Brad Sloan | YouTube

Credit: Brad Sloan | YouTube

The Boring Company also has an ongoing project at its Bastrop, Texas headquarters, and the tunneling firm recently brought county firefighters out to the site as a part of recurring tunnel safety drills. While the company has been in talks with Texas A&M University about a tunneling project, as well as a handful of municipalities across the U.S., the largest Boring Company project to date is currently being built out in Las Vegas.

The initial underground tunnel loop built in the city was built near the convention center, fittingly named the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) loop. The company is also expanding and has been building out stations across the city, and it’s eventually expected to include a total of 81 stops across the city.

Boring Company to start using Tesla’s FSD in Las Vegas tunnels

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In a recent post on its official social media account on X, The Boring Company shared some photos from an event with the Austin Fire Department, which conducted safety drills at its tunnel in Bastrop, Texas. As per the tunneling startup, its goal is always to maximize Loop system safety and reliability.

“Thanks to Austin Fire Department for being a great partner – the teams have initiated recurring tunnel safety drills in Texas. Goal is always to maximize Loop system safety and reliability,” The Boring Company wrote in its post.

Thanks to @austinfiredept for being a great partner – the teams have initiated recurring tunnel safety drills in Texas.

Goal is always to maximize Loop system safety and reliability. pic.twitter.com/I3bZ0iGr6Y

— The Boring Company (@boringcompany) October 30, 2024

The Boring Company’s post featured two images. One featured what appears to be a Model 3 sedan being surrounded by emergency personnel. Another photo featured fire trucks outside the Bastrop site’s tunnel, which sports an entrance that seemed to be inspired by the Fallout series. 

Over at Giga Texas, The Boring Company’s crews are also making serious headway in the construction of a tunnel leading out of the Model Y and Cybertruck factory. As per drone operator Joe Tegtmeyer, who has long been observing the progress of the Giga Texas complex, The Boring Company’s crews are now preparing the west exit area for the final facing structures and driveways.

The @boringcompany crews have completed installing the tunnel road surface panels & are now preparing the W exit area for the final facing structures & driveways. Much more going on inside the S extension where the other end of the tunnel is located! Getting closer to the day we… pic.twitter.com/tS2xeifYBd

— Joe Tegtmeyer (@JoeTegtmeyer) October 30, 2024

Considering that more work is reportedly being done at the tunnel’s south extension, there seems to be a pretty good chance that Tesla could soon use The Boring Company’s tunnels to move production Model Y and Cybertruck units from the Giga Texas building to a holding lot. As per the drone operator, the day when Cybertrucks drive through the Boring Company’s Gigafactory Texas tunnel seems to be getting closer.

Check out Giga Texas’ Boring Company tunnels in the video below.

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The Boring Company’s proposal for the “Aggie Loop” is being considered by administrators at Texas A&M, as reported by the campus newspaper The Battalion last week. Like the company’s other loops, it would feature underground tunnels leading to multiple stations spread across the Texas A&M campus, which would be built strategically at high-traffic locations and bus stops.

“The Boring Company proposal provides a mobility solution that improves campus-wide connectivity, reduces road congestion, allows for future expansion as the need arises and the vehicles in the tunnel are zero emission electric,” said Peter Lange, Texas A&M’s Chief Operating Officer.

And that's a wrap! Boring Company's 15th tunnel. pic.twitter.com/PbSt3YXyEv

— The Boring Company (@boringcompany) September 11, 2024

In the last ten years alone, the university’s student population has jumped by around 18,000 students, highlighting the need for improvements to campus pedestrian transportation options.

“There currently simply isn’t a way to transition the number of students we serve safely and effectively in the limited time frame between classes,” Lange added. “The Boring Co.’s unique vertically integrated tunneling process offers a potential solution by connecting the front of campus and West Campus with a loop tunnel. The tunnel route is based on the two most heavily used on campus bus routes which are routes one and three.”

The tunnels would feature Tesla vehicles, which would drive passengers from one station to the next in a more timely fashion than what pedestrians are able to do on foot.

Lange says tunnels for the loop would be built roughly 30 feet beneath the ground, using stations that are built both above ground and below ground. The Aggie Loop is expected to connect the northern Polo Road area of campus to the Memorial Student Center, Reed Arena, and White Creek Apartment, with transit taking about two to three minutes.

The Boring Company currently has active stations in Las Vegas, Nevada, though the company is also building out a tunnel system at Tesla’s Gigafactory in Austin, Texas. The company’s efforts in Las Vegas started with the smaller, pilot loop, dubbed the “Las Vegas Convention Center Loop,” though it’s slowly expanding throughout the city, eventually expected to include a total of 81 stops.

The Boring Company has given rides to 2 million passengers

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Elon Musk’s tunneling company recently posted pictures on X showcasing Prufrock 4’s lighting test inside the Boring Factory. However, in the corner of one of the photos, hidden in the dark, is a glimpse of Prufrock 5.

The Boring Company’s Prufrock 5 TBM hasn’t been on the field yet. However, the pictures show it is almost ready for initial tests.

Meanwhile, Prufrock 4 is nearly ready to go on its first mission. In August, The Boring Company started tests on Prufrock 4 at its factory in Bastrop, Texas. According to the tunneling company, Prufrock 4 is 308 feet long and weighs 797,000 pounds. It also produces up to 4.7 million pounds of thrust. 

Prufrock-4 lighting test inside Boring Factory, with a subtle cameo by Prufrock-5. pic.twitter.com/lfOT6sWNJB

— The Boring Company (@boringcompany) September 16, 2024

Then there is Prufrock 3, which recently broke through its first completed tunnel in Las Vegas. Before Sin City, the third iteration of Prufrock finished digging the Cybertunnel at Giga Texas. Prufrock 3 is keeping busy while its siblings are back in Texas. Its next launch is already scheduled for October 30. 

In 2022, The Boring Company raised $675 million to scale boring machine production and more. 

“Prufrock is a next-generation Tunnel Boring Machine designed to construct mega-infrastructure projects in a matter of weeks instead of years, and at a fraction of the cost. The current iteration of Prufrock, called Prufrock-2, is designed to mine at up to 1 mile/week, meaning a tunnel the length of the Las Vegas strip (approximately 4 miles) can be completed in a month,” noted TBC at the time.

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As per the Boring Company, Prufrock-3 completed its first tunnel in Las Vegas just 12 weeks after it completed the Cybertunnel in the Giga Texas complex. “Prufrock-3 Breakthrough! 12 weeks after completing the Cybertunnel at Giga Texas, Prufrock-3 has completed its first tunnel in Las Vegas! Next Prufrock-3 launch (after upgrading several systems to the Prufrock-4 spec), scheduled for October 30,” The Boring Company wrote in its post. 

Prufrock-3 Breakthrough!
12 weeks after completing the Cybertunnel at Giga Texas, Prufrock-3 has completed its first tunnel in Las Vegas!
Next Prufrock-3 launch (after upgrading several systems to the Prufrock-4 spec), scheduled for October 30. pic.twitter.com/ywEM7S8XJD

— The Boring Company (@boringcompany) September 6, 2024

The tunneling startup did not share the length of the tunnel that Prufrock-3 completed, but the completion time of the Las Vegas tunnel is quite impressive. Since finishing the Cybertunnel at Giga Texas 12 weeks ago, after all, Prufrock-3 had to be dissembled first before it was transported to Las Vegas. The tunnel boring machine also had to be reassembled before it could start digging in Sin City. 

The Boring Company has a lot of ambitious plans for its Prufrock tunnel boring machines. As per the startup on its official website, its Prufrock series TBMs are designed to revolutionize underground construction projects with speed and automation. This is highlighted by the Prufrock series’ capability to “porpoise,” which means that it can launch directly from the surface with minimal specialized equipment.

Prufrock-4 has begun testing in Boring Factory in Bastrop, TX.
Prufrock-4 is 308 feet long (~1 football field), weighs 797,000 pounds (~150 SUVs), and produces up to 4.7 million pounds of thrust (~90% of Falcon Heavy liftoff thrust). pic.twitter.com/OazYHOpvc2

— The Boring Company (@boringcompany) August 12, 2024

The Boring Company is looking to achieve a digging speed greater than 1 mile per week with Prufrock. The tunneling startup seems to be aggressively pursuing this goal, as hinted at by its next-generation Prufrock machine, dubbed Prufrock-4, at The Boring Company’s Bastrop, TX facility. As per The Boring Company, “Prufrock-4 is 308 feet long (~1 football field), weighs 797,000 pounds (~150 SUVs), and produces up to 4.7 million pounds of thrust (~90% of Falcon Heavy liftoff thrust).”

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In a statement to the Las Vegas Review-Journal this month, President and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority Steve Hill said that The Boring Company was hoping to start using Tesla’s driver-assistance technology in the city’s tunnels before the end of 2024. While Hill didn’t specify what “driver assistance tool” the company would be using, it stands to reason that Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) would be fairly easy to adapt to the underground tunnel system, especially compared to actual traffic.

“Hopefully this will get started just lightly, using a driver assistance tool by the end of this year,” Hill said.

Credit: The Boring Company

The CEO didn’t share any kind of timeline for a fully autonomous system, and it’s worth noting that Tesla’s FSD Supervised still requires a driver to monitor the road and be ready to regain control of the vehicle at all times. Additionally, The Boring Company’s vehicles also still require a driver behind the wheel of the Teslas.

Currently, the Boring Company is building out a larger network of underground tunnels called the Vegas Loop, after the company initially built a few stations, dubbed the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) Loop. The LVCC loop has three stations: the LVCC West Station, the LVCC South Station, and the LVCC Central Station, with the whole loop designed to carry 4,400 passengers per hour.

The Vegas Loop is a sprawling plan for stations across the entire city, expected to eventually carry as many as 90,000 passengers per hour.

Las Vegas is the most expansive of The Boring Company’s underground tunneling projects, though Tesla earlier this year began a project to build a tunnel at its Giga Texas. In May, The Boring Company celebrated surpassing two million rides given, about a year after the company reached one million.

The Boring Company acquires more land for Vegas Loop expansion: report

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According to The Boring Company, Prufrock 4 produced 4.7 million pounds of thrust, weighing 797,000 pounds.  The company aims to triple Prufrock’s tunneling speed while improving its cooling systems. 

Prufrock-4 has begun testing in Boring Factory in Bastrop, TX.
Prufrock-4 is 308 feet long (~1 football field), weighs 797,000 pounds (~150 SUVs), and produces up to 4.7 million pounds of thrust (~90% of Falcon Heavy liftoff thrust). pic.twitter.com/OazYHOpvc2

— The Boring Company (@boringcompany) August 12, 2024

The Boring Company has thought of a few design features that would get Prufrock up to speed:

1. The company installs the TBM’s precast segments simultaneously for continuous mining, meaning Prufrock will not need to stop every 5 feet.
2. Prufrock machines are designed to launch into the surface and porpoise out of the ground.
3. TBC uses rubber-wheeled segment trucks instead of traditional rail-based locomotives, eliminating installation and maintenance. 

The Boring Company has been chugging along bit by bit for the past few years. In June, Prufrock 3 finished digging a tunnel to Giga Texas. Prufrock 3 was escorted out of Giga Texas on a Tesla Cybertruck Tests on Prufrock 4 is another step forward for the company. 

The Boring Company is hiring in Texas. It has 55 positions open in Texas, calling for engineers, technicians, laborers, and more, 

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The Boring Company extended its invitation in a post on X. “The Boring Company is looking to hire world-class flux-core welders in Bastrop, TX! Apply below for an opportunity to be invited to interview with our weld team THIS Friday (6/21) at our Texas HQ (and get a glimpse of Prufrock-4),” the tunneling startup wrote.

The Boring Company is looking to hire world class flux-core welders in Bastrop, TX! Apply below for an opportunity to be invited to interview with our weld team THIS Friday (6/21) at our Texas HQ (and get a glimpse of Prufrock-4).https://t.co/xIMrH6yGQN pic.twitter.com/aGinGfnCmm

— The Boring Company (@boringcompany) June 19, 2024

In its job listing, The Boring Company noted that it is developing technologies that are aimed at increasing tunneling speed and decreasing tunneling costs by a factor of 10 or more. As per the tunneling startup, the goal of The Boring Company is to make Hyperloop viable sometime in the future. 

Welders who work for The Boring Company will be placed on day and night shift teams, though shift flexibility is required. As of now, the tunneling startup noted that its welders are expected to work 12-hour shifts four days a week. Such a workweek might be attractive to some applicants as it essentially offers three days of rest every week. 

While The Boring Company’s welders will be working on a 12-hour per day, four-day workweek, they are also required to work extended hours and weekends as needed. Applicants must also be able to travel for short and extended trips as needed, and work outdoors in heavy construction areas. Welders must also be able to lift at least 50 pounds unassisted, and be able to stoop, bend, crawl, and maneuver in tight spaces. 

The responsibilities of a Boring Company welder include the welding assembly and fabrication of large-scale structures and assemblies, the modification, repair, and assembly of tunnel boring machines, and the setup of safety equipment and work platforms at elevation, among others. Applicants must have at least a high school diploma or GED, as well as more than two years of experience welding steel. They must also have more than two years of experience in either tank fabrication, elevated steel structure fabrication, elevated work, or sheet metal work. 

Those who wish to apply as a welder for The Boring Company can click here. 

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Images of the Cybertruck escorting Prufrock-3 in Giga Texas were shared by the tunneling startup on The Boring Company’s official X account. While Prufrock-3 was being escorted by a number of Teslas in the images, it was evident that the Cybertruck was the tunnel boring machine’s lead escort vehicle. 

On the road again @Tesla pic.twitter.com/Kzn0PYl49U

— The Boring Company (@boringcompany) June 12, 2024

Previous posts from The Boring Company indicate that Prufrock-3 was immediately captured by “The Monster” after it finished digging through Giga Texas. Thanks to “The Monster,” which allows Prufrock-3 to launch directly into the ground, the tunnel boring machine could easily be driven to its next tunnel site and launched in less than 24 hours. 

The tunneling industry is ripe for some disruption, so it is no surprise that The Boring Company’s targets for Prufrock are incredibly ambitious. As per The Boring Company’s official website, Prufrock is designed to tunnel at a speed that’s greater than one mile per week. In the medium-term, the tunneling startup is expected to exceed 1/10 of a human’s walking speed, which is seven miles per day.

Prufrock-3 has been captured by “The Monster” inside Giga Texas! The Monster is then driven to the next tunnel site, where it tilts downwards and launches Prufrock directly into the ground. Enables Prufrock to launch in < 24 hours. pic.twitter.com/oqtImRq1qF

— The Boring Company (@boringcompany) June 12, 2024

Such goals are nothing short of insane considering that the fastest TBMs in the market today are only capable of digging through several hundred meters every month. This was the case with the massive “Caucasus” tunnel boring machine, which was used to dig the Gudauri tunnel in Georgia. During its operations, the Caucasus was able to dig through a maximum of 426 meters (about 1,400 feet) in one month. This speed was already very quick for TBMs.

Of course, The Boring Company’s Prufrock is a significantly smaller TBM that makes significantly smaller tunnels. However, the speed of its operations and its targets suggests that Prufrock is a machine that should not be dismissed, as it is a TBM that has the potential to change the tunnel-boring machine industry, much like how the Tesla Model 3 changed the mainstream EV market. 

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