Gary Zhou 
The Boring Company (TBC) has made some notable moves recently, including launching Prufrock-2. Elon Musk’s tunneling company also announced its aim to conduct full-scale Hyperloop tests later this year.
Pictures on TBC’s official website reveal that it has launched Prufrock-2 in Bastrop, Texas. Preparations for Prufrock-2 were spotted at TBC’s Bastrop location in September 2021. The recently uploaded picture of Prufrock-2 at Bastrop suggests that the company has already launched the tunnel boring machine (TBM). The picture shows that the ground has been broken at the site by Prufrock-2.
Last week, The Boring Company announced that it raised $675 million in a Series C funding round to recruit employees, build tunnels, and scale boring machine production. TBC stated that Prufrock-2 is the current iteration of its next-generation TBM. It is designed to mine up to 1 mile per week. The company estimates that at the current speed of Prufrock-2, it can tunnel through the length of the Las Vegas strip, or approximately 4 miles within a month.
The Boring Company’s Vegas Loop will include stops along the Las Vegas strip. The Vegas Loop is expected to feature 18 miles of tunnels with 51 planned stops across Sin City, including at Resorts World, the Harry Reid International Airport, and the Allegiant Stadium. It will bring TBC closer to Elon Musk’s vision of a Hyperloop.
Elon Musk recently stated that The Boring Company would attempt to build a working Hyperloop in the coming years. Following Musk’s estimation, The Boring Company announced that it would begin full-scale Hyperloop testing in late 2022.
Prufrock-3 will undoubtedly be instrumental to TBC’s functioning Hyperloop goals. According to the tunneling company, Prufrock-3 will be faster than its predecessors. The Boring Company has a medium-term goal for Prufrock-3 to bore tunnels at 1/10th human walking speed or 7 miles per day.
