Tesla 12-seat electric van coming with help from the Boring Company, report says - CNET

The Boring Company concept shuttle — The Boring Company floated this rendering a while ago, but maybe we'll see something like this in the near future.
The Boring Company

It's van time for Tesla, according to a report from the Mercury News.

The newspaper reported Thursday that a 12-seat electric van from Tesla will be part of a new proposal approved by San Bernardino County, California. The small piece of information came out as part of a plan the local transportation agency voted on to pursue a proposal for Elon Musk's Boring Company to create a new high-speed tunnel.

Specifically, the proposed tunnel network will link the city of Rancho Cucamonga with Ontario International Airport. San Bernardino County Supervisor Curt Hagman told reporters after the vote that the proposal initially called for regular Tesla vehicles to run in the tunnels, but he then added that both of Musk's companies are working on the large van. Besides room for 12 passengers, it will also fit luggage and travel at 127 mph.

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The large, 12-seat vehicle could be the Tesla Model 3-based Boring Company vehicle we've heard about in the past, though its description as a van seems to suggest it will be something different. Neither Tesla nor the Boring Company immediately returned a request for comment.

As for the newly proposed tunnel, it would run 2.8 miles and sit 35 feet below ground. With the vans running at 127 mph, a trip to or from the airport would take 90 seconds to 2 minutes. The county believes a final price tag for the project could be about $60 million, which is considerably less expensive than a new light rail system also proposed. Officials quoted $1 billion to $1.5 billion figures for a light rail system.

Should the Boring Company land this contract, it will mark its third noteworthy achievement. The firm is already hard at work finishing a tunnel to connect the Las Vegas Convention Center and a newly expanded west hall. The company also previously earned business for Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.