Why Elon Musk Believes Underground Tunnels Are Better Than Fying Cars

When Elon Musk announced that he started a company to support the creation of underground tunnels to alleviate traffic, he wasn't just "bored" -- all puns intended -- of the normal transportation system. In fact, he has a good reason for actually opting to use this method.

According to the SpaceX co-founder and Boring Company head, this is because he does not like the idea of dominating the skies.

Musk told Bloomberg Businessweek that much as he "like[s] flying things," using flying cars is not a solution. He said improper maintenance, which most likely people will commit, can lead to damages. After all, people will be more anxious if there are huge vehicles above their heads that are as prone to accidents as those on the ground.

Another problem, he said, is that cars that fly need a lot of force to keep them on the skies. The "pressure" exerted downward will be felt by people on the ground, which means there's a lot of pollution in the form of noise and debris.

Musk noted that it's a much more practical to build tunnels, as cities already have them. Putting air taxis will just open new issues such as air traffic.

In a report from Inverse, Musk emphasized that this new venture on underground tunnels is a serious cause. Its first project is to build a tunnel just underneath the parking lot of the SpaceX base.

His vision involves cities having at least 30 layers of tunnels for multiple kinds of vehicles. This means that cities can have more space for infrastructure using the space from previous roads above ground.

Musk's comments on the matter root on the fact that a lot of people are actually looking forward to the arrival of aerial cars. Tech companies, such as Uber and Airbus, have been working on their flying car prototypes. In fact, Dubai actually plans on using air taxis by July 2017.