Thus far, all the initial testing has been done with the standard Full Self-Driving (FSD) software that consumers can get in their personal Tesla vehicles, and with a Boring Company safety operator in the driver’s seat, according to Hill, who awarded the Boring Company its first transportation contract and who has overseen all of Boring’s initial construction and tunneling in the broader county thus far. Hill said that Boring Company is operating the vehicles, but was unsure of Tesla’s exact role in the testing apart from furnishing the vehicles and the self-driving software. There have been no scrapes or accidents thus far, though safety drivers have “periodically” had to intervene and take control of the vehicles, Hill said.
In the future, the Boring Company will remove safety drivers from the front seat during testing, Hill said, but there is no telling when that will take place, as it will depend on when Tesla, where Musk is CEO, and the Boring Company can demonstrate to the LVCVA that it is safe to do so. Convention center attendees will also need to become comfortable with the idea before testing with riders begins, according to Hill. “I think it’s a ways off,” Hill said, noting it is crucial that the system can “work exceptionally well and instill and earn confidence” among the people who ride in it.
The current Boring Company tunnel system comprises two adjacent one-way single-lane tunnels connecting passengers to different ends of the Las Vegas Convention Center as well as to Resorts World and the Westgate hotel and casino.
Hill said that the vehicles are currently being tested in self-driving mode inside the tunnels, “experiencing the environment,” as “they find spots that are difficult for them.” The rock walls of the tunnels, Hill said, combined with the bright, colorful lights in the passageways create some “interesting but odd lighting” for Tesla’s self-driving system, which uses video cameras only and does not rely on the radar and lidar sensors that most of its competitors use to help the cars “see” the world around them.
“Sooner or later, this is going to be autonomous,” Hill said.
“I think it’s been really helpful,” Hill said, noting that the Boring Company has been “completely welcoming” of the LVCVA’s safety oversight.
“We’re holding them back. They’re not holding us back,” Hill said.
