| >The article clearly states the tunnels with have a tunnel ventilation system, which is standard fire suppression strategy for underground tunnels for subways. Standard subway systems have to have much more in regards to fire suppression than just ventilation. The entire tunnel has to be protected from fire damage with insulation, some tunnels have sprinkler systems, etc. These wouldn't be needed in the dugout tunnel. >They're already laying power cables for the tunnel lighting system which is presumably for their autonomous driving system with cameras, which now has a single dependency on their tunnel lighting system. A power cable for low-voltage lighting is much, much, much different than the electrical systems required for powering a subway train. It's like the difference of running an extension cord to your lamp versus laying mains wiring for an entire house. There's also no reason to believe that the vehicles would be dependent on the lighting system. Many cars on the market today already come with sonic- or LIDAR-based cameras that do not need lamps to detect obstructions. Tesla's own autopilot on its cars works just fine on unlit roads. There are also automated subway systems all over the world that don't depend on the tunnels being lit, and they don't seem to have any issue avoiding collisions. >Why would you want steep inclines (more than 5% standard for metros) if you're already underground and use lifts to ascend? The electric skates will still have a kinematic envelope that the tunnel has to adhere to, especially if they're for standing passengers. I don't see how this differs substantially from subway tunnels to allow steeper inclines/sharper angles. You wouldn't want them, but not being bound to the grade and angle restrictions of a tracked metro train means that you have more flexibility of where your system can go if you need to. It makes it easier to route around existing tunnels, piping, sewers, etc without having to make huge detours or being forced to use elevators. An example of this is given in the linked website where they talk about the eastern terminus of the tunnel - it uses a ramp (from the looks of it, a ramp with a steepness that a subway train would never be able to use). If space allows for such a ramp, it's probably cheaper than using an elevator. |
No they don't. There's no insulation for underground tunnels for subways; just steel liners and reinforced concrete, at least according to NFPA 130. No sprinkler systems. So no difference here.
> LV vs HV
Yes, true. HV cables and other supporting systems are more expensive. So the only difference here is batteries, which are far more combustible than cables in concrete.
> LIDAR cameras
Correct me if I'm wrong, but to my knowledge, Tesla has removed LIDAR-based cameras in their lineup.
> There are also automated subway systems all over the world that don't depend on the tunnels being lit, and they don't seem to have any issue avoiding collisions.
Yes, I know. And those trains communicate via access points placed on the tracks, each of which are run with fibre and power cables. Now that bare tunnel is no longer bare.
> incline
Sure, it's more flexible. It still doesn't address the claim that this will help make those tunnels cheaper.