Elon Musk has resurrected his most ambitious project to date. In Dubai no less. The enigmatic transport tycoon has unveiled a project in conjunction with the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) of Dubai. After the two have signed a memorandum of understanding, the details of the project have come to light. And it would be Musk’s biggest project ever. The project is being handled by the Boring Company, one of Musk’s many businesses. A similar project was been operating in Las Vegas, all be it on a much smaller scale.
Will the Dubai project bring Musk back from the brink of disaster?
Elon Musk shot into the public’s eye back in 1999 when he sold his first software company, Zip2, for a crazy $307 million. That established his reputation. He then followed that by co-founding PayPal, which became immensely successful as well. His next venture would be much more ambitious. He then founded SpaceX, which was focused on space exploration. Which still have a grip on the market.
SpaceX become his flagship company, and for a while, it was good. He then, to his credit, saw a need for an alternative form of transport in the personal mobility sector. He then invested in a company called Tesla founded by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, aiming to revolutionize the automotive industry with electric vehicles. And their cars became some of the best selling in the world.
Musk seemed to have the Midas touch. Everything he touched turned to gold. In a very short space of time he became the richest man in the world. However, power tends to reveal a man’s true character. This proved to be the case here as well. His ventures into the American political scene had a disastrous effect on his reputation and Tesla’s sales. But Musk remains focused on his projects. The Dubai loop being the latest.
What exactly is the Dubai loop? How does it work in Vegas?
The idea is that Musk’s company would dig and construct some underground tunnels that would have electric vehicles transporting people around the city of Dubai. They have a similar system operating underneath the Las Vegas convention centre. The project in Vegas took a total of two years to construct the tunnels and five stations for 70 driverless vehicles to navigate. Their plans to expand the system points to its success.
Perhaps that is what the government officials in Dubai were waiting for. Evidence that the system worked and was not just a marketing tool that would be abandoned after a few years. The two parties spoke about the project recently on the final day of the World Governments Summit. Despite his questionable actions in the United States, the world seems open to working with Musk.
The Dubai loop will have 17km system with 11 stations that could potentially carry 20,000 passengers per hour. Dubai has some seriously densely populated areas. Most of the people in the iconic city are foreigners, with the actual Emiratis making up a small percentage of the population. Musk has some big projects in the works, the Dubai loop will be the latest in a very impressive portfolio for the South African tycoon.
Can this be the future for all big cities around the world?
The governments and citizens of the world are under no illusion of the state of the climate. And our effect on it. The responsibility lies with all of us to make better choices for the future of the planet. The question a project like the Dubai loop proposes is, are we headed for a future were the car is no longer needed for personal transport? The world is hard at work looking for an alternative way to power our transport. The Dubai loop has the potential to show the world a future that we can all get on board with. The problems Musk has been having in the US, seem a world from this project.
