Did Musk's Boring Company Just Copy the 1967 Urbmobile?
Why It Matters
Because the Loop recycles decades‑old, untested dual‑mode designs, its promised efficiency may be overstated, urging stakeholders to scrutinize the technical viability before committing capital.
Key Takeaways
- •1960s Herb Mobile pioneered dual‑mode electric guideway concept
- •Design featured steel‑wheel on rail guideway and third‑rail power
- •Proposed millisecond vehicle spacing proved infeasible for decades
- •Later sketches imagined magnetic suspension lifting standard cars
- •Boring Company’s Loop mirrors these historic, unimplemented ideas
Summary
The video examines Elon Musk’s Boring Company Loop and argues it closely resembles the 1967 “Herb Mobile” dual‑mode transport concept, a little electric car that could drive on regular roads and then launch onto a dedicated guideway at high speed.
Herb Mobile featured a 40‑mile electric range, steel‑wheel‑on‑rail guideways powered by a third rail, and claimed vehicles could travel only milliseconds apart at a constant 60 mph, nudging each other gently. The presentation also showed later iterations that imagined magnetic suspension lifting standard cars onto an overhead “Magnoline” system.
Proponents of the original project boasted that all required technology existed, yet it never materialized. A quoted engineer noted the equipment was “state‑of‑the‑art but not off‑the‑shelf,” and mock‑up images depicted passengers playing chess or smoking, underscoring the utopian vision divorced from practical safety concerns.
By resurfacing these antiquated ideas, the Boring Company’s Loop highlights a pattern of repackaging historic, unproven concepts as breakthrough innovations. Investors, regulators, and city planners should treat the hype with caution, recognizing that decades of failed dual‑mode experiments suggest substantial technical and operational hurdles remain.
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