It’s no secret electric cars have been tipped as a cornerstone of the future. Companies have also started to explore the possibility of flying cars, with a recent example coming from the Lazzarini Design Studio. Uber have planned to launch flying taxi demonstrations by 2020 and commercial trips by 2023. The company’s plans are beginning to come together with five manufacturers working on the cars.
Karem is the latest aerospace company to get involved, and the other companies are Pipistrel Aircraft, Embraer, Bell Helicopter and Aurora Flight Sciences. Uber has said the system of cars will need an electric charging provider and agreement with property management companies for a place to land. The VTOL vehicles would theoretically allow passengers to avoid congested roads and speed up transportation. All the companies are working hard to get the cars off the ground and here’s information on each.
Karem
As the newest Uber partner, Karem is investing a lot of time into getting up to speed with the latest technology. The company was founded by Abe Karem, who is familiar with designing flying concepts like the Predator drone and A160 Hummingbird.
Karem’s latest invention is the Butterfly and they’ll be working on it with Uber. The configuration is designed to balance hover and cruise efficiency, as well as being quiet.
Pipistrel Aircraft
Pipistrel created the Alpha Electro, the world’s first FAA-approved electric plane. The company presented a new concept model during the Elevate Summit that makes use of a propulsion system for cruising.
Aurora Flight Sciences
Founded in 1989, Aurora specialises in autonomous flying systems and was acquired by Boeing in 2017. The company has produced several aircrafts, such as a line of small take-off machines called GoldenEye.
Embraer
With five decades of experience, Embraer definitely brings a lot to the team. The company has designed up to 50 aircrafts and delivered more than 8000 aircrafts to 100 countries. The Embraer X unit is focused on disruptive technology like VTOLs.
Bell
Formerly known as Bell Helicopter, the organisation is focused on making commercial and military helicopters.
Uber’s flying taxi plans are ambitious and if they are able to get even a single car up in the air then it’s an impressive feat.
