Is this a leaked video of Tesla's rumored self-driving Las Vegas passenger pod?

A Las Vegas content creator shared a video of what is alleged to be an early prototype of Tesla’s
rumored people-mover.
Robyn Beck/Pool via REUTERS

A Las Vegas content creator shared a video that says shows a prototype vehicle from The Boring Company.
The leaked footage looks similar to early renderings for the company’s autonomous people-mover.
Elon Musk talked of “fully road legal autonomous transport cars” in 2018 but not much since.

A video of what could be an early prototype of Tesla’s rumored people-mover spread across the internet earlier this week.

In the video, the vehicle looks something like an all-glass minibus or subway pod. The leaked footage appears to be taken from some kind of warehouse or garage. The man who posted the video, Jacob Orth, said on Twitter that it was taken inside The Boring Company’s Las Vegas site and designed for the company’s Loop under the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Leaked video of the secret Tesla van prototype designed for Elon Musk’s Vegas Loop, from inside The Boring Company’s Las Vegas headquarters pic.twitter.com/A3A3XJ0UTx

— Jacob Orth (@JacobsVegasLife)
July 10, 2023

Insider was unable to confirm the authenticity of the video, but Orth told Insider that as a Vegas content creator on YouTube, he’s built a network of people willing to send him tips about big events in the city.

“There’s been rumors of a 12-passenger Tesla van for weeks,” he said in an emailed comment. “A trusted contact put me in touch with an anonymous source who gave me information that led me to believe it was legitimate. I’ll likely be posting more updates.”

Jacob Orth shared the video on Twitter on Monday.
Courtesy of Jacob Orth

The vehicle appears to sport a steering wheel with Tesla’s insignia.

Elon Musk’s EV company has discussed building an EV van or a minibus in the past and the billionaire has also said Tesla would make “high-speed pods” for The Boring Company, according to Electrek. The EV blog was the first to report on the leaked footage.

The leaked video appears to show a steering wheel with Tesla’s insignia.
Courtesy of Jacob Orth

Orth’s video looks roughly similar to early renderings of autonomous pods that The Boring Company shared in 2018. Though, the images appear to have since been taken down from the company’s website.

An early rendering of The Boring Company’s people-mover looks similar to Orth’s video.
The Boring Company

At the time, Musk said that the launch of The Boring Company’s first test tunnel in Hawthorne, California would include “fully road legal autonomous transport cars.” Though, when the tunnel opened in December 2018 the tunnels were operated with a fleet of Tesla Model X vehicles that were operated by drivers.

Since 2018, Musk has had little to say about The Boring Company’s people-mover, but the billionaire has been known to announce surprise products every once and while.

Representatives for Tesla and The Boring Company did not respond to a request for comment ahead of publication.