Image Courtesy of Uber/via FINANCIAL TIMES
Uber will soon rule the sky with their autonomous car eVTOL flight on-demand flying taxi. If you think that flying cars can only be seen in futuristic movies, well think again! Uber seems to be very optimistic with their Uber Elevate, uberAir vision. And dead serious about it. Why are we saying this? Just take a look at the picture above. It will no longer be just a picture nor a prototype in the near future. It will soon become a reality. It’s true! This is despite now that the ride-sharing company, Uber, is facing issues. Uber was reportedly involved in a recent fatal crash accident in Arizona. One of their autonomous cars, self-driving sports vehicle, hits a 49-year old woman while crossing the street. And because of this incident, the Uber operation was suspended while the investigation is on-going. Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber Chief Executive, said that the company is closely with federal investigators. Dara ensures the people that they are very serious in dealing with the recent accident.
Autonomous Car eVTOL Flight On-Demand Flying Taxi is the future!
For Uber, it looks like that the recent fatal autonomous car accident will not be a show-stopper for their vision. The plan must proceed without any delays! The idea of on-demand flying taxi is actually not a new concept. There were a couple of group and companies who’s already ahead of the game. One of them was the one we featured last year, the prototype Lilium Jet 2-seater Eagle prototype which had a test flight over the skies of Bavaria.
What’s with the autonomous car eVTOL flight on-demand flying taxi anyway? Well, for starter it is not actually a car. It is not even close to the looks of an average car that we used to know. It’s more of a cross-drone+copter, combined into one.
Let’s define a couple of things before we proceed.
What is eVTOL?
eVTOL stands for electrical vertical take-off and landing vehicle. Last year, one of the known eVTOL enthusiast company, Aurora, joined the last Uber Elevate Summit. They showcased their eVTOL aircraft technology. Uber said that they have partnered with Aurora to take the big step in the transportation innovation.
“Uber is taking a big step forward toward making the world’s first VTOL network a reality and our partnership with Aurora Flight Sciences will help get us off the ground” – Mark Moore, Director of Engineering for Uber.
What’s an autonomous car or vehicle?
Autonomous car has been one of the longest attempt in the history of transportation technology. The first autonomous car called “American Wonder” was demonstrated back in 1925. Houdina Radio Control Co., demonstrated and a used radio-controlled vehicle in New York. The American Wonder traveled from Broadway down to the Fifth Avenue through thick traffic. American Wonder was actually a 1926 Chandler equipped with an antenna. Although, the technology back then was not as complex as compared with what we have now. The American Wonder was remotely controlled from another car. Yeah, that’s how it works back then. But at least, it was enough for a proof of concept.
As time goes by, there had been different companies who tried to improve the technology. And now, this is the technology that uberAir wants to adapt in the near future. Let’s watch the video released by Financial Times.
When there are questions about this “flying taxi” idea, you will begin to wonder
OK, so it is a eVTOL flying taxi that can cruise at 150-200 mph which can go as high as 600 meters above the ground. And it can accommodate four-person (ride-sharing). Although it was not clear if there will be a pilot during the early implementation. All it says is that “eventually”, the vehicles will fly without pilots. SCARY or EXCITING? This is one of the main concern now when we talk about “SAFETY”.
I mean, the idea of flying taxi would probably help to alleviate the problem we are not facing on the road – heavy and bad traffic. The concept will help to give more space to the growing urban congestion we are experiencing right now. But, will you have the strong and steady heart to try riding an autonomous vehicle in the future? Where you will rely only to the technology to bring you to your destination? I mean, really? I guess this will be a big challenge for Uber. They will need to convince the world that what they are offering is safe. At least let them state that clearly to the world and mind about the price later. I am sure riding a flying taxi can be classified as luxurious way to traverse around the metro. 🙂
Uber Flying Taxi Launch Will Start on 2020
Currently, as of writing this article, the first test bed flight will be conducted in Dallas and Los Angeles in the USA. And there have been talks that Dubai is also interested. Uber is still seeking for other interested countries to be their partner for the test phase. This is what we’ve seen from Uber’s website.
“Interested governments should contact their Uber public affairs contact or email the Uber Elevate team at [email protected] by July 1st, 2018.”
Although, what we’ve been telling again and again. Uber still needs to get an agreement from proper authorities for their eVTOL flight on-demand flying taxi to be approved and well accepted by the world.