For decades, humans have dreamed of making personal air mobility a reality. Ever since the future-themed propaganda films of the 1940s and 1950s, people have been dreaming of traveling to and fro by air, in small, personal aircraft designed to be used pretty much as cars are used today. For a variety of reasons, this dream so far failed to materialize.
The past ten years or so have meant a resurgence in interest for flying cars and other means of air transportation machines, and now a huge number of companies are involved in some type of project with this goal. Among the most advanced is Uber, who is pushing harder and harder towards making urban air mobility a reality.
At this week’s 2020 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas (CES), Uber struck gold as it announced a partnership with South Korean carmaker Hyundai. The deal between the two will see the entire might of the carmaker’s production capabilities put to use to manufacture flying taxis for Uber.
To prove they mean business, the two companies presented in Las Vegas the S-A1 vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, a prototype that will form the basis of the future fleet of Hyundai-built, Uber-operated taxis.
The S-A1 is a four seater that can take off vertically using four propellers, then transition to horizontal flight by using four others. In the first months (perhaps years) of operation, the taxi will be piloted by a human pilot, but later on the fleet should become autonomous.
The aircraft has a cruising speed of 180 mph (290 kph) and can fly at altitudes of up to 2,000 feet (600 meters). The range of its electric propulsion system should be at 60 miles (100 km).
“Our vision of Urban Air Mobility will transform the concept of urban transportation,” said Jaiwon Shin, Executive Vice President and Head of Hyundai’s Urban Air Mobility (UAM) Division.
“We expect UAM to vitalize urban communities and provide more quality time to people. We are confident that Uber Elevate is the right partner to make this innovative product readily available to as many customers as possible.”
Neither company said when or where actual trials of the technology will begin.
At this week’s 2020 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas (CES), Uber struck gold as it announced a partnership with South Korean carmaker Hyundai. The deal between the two will see the entire might of the carmaker’s production capabilities put to use to manufacture flying taxis for Uber.
To prove they mean business, the two companies presented in Las Vegas the S-A1 vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, a prototype that will form the basis of the future fleet of Hyundai-built, Uber-operated taxis.
The S-A1 is a four seater that can take off vertically using four propellers, then transition to horizontal flight by using four others. In the first months (perhaps years) of operation, the taxi will be piloted by a human pilot, but later on the fleet should become autonomous.
The aircraft has a cruising speed of 180 mph (290 kph) and can fly at altitudes of up to 2,000 feet (600 meters). The range of its electric propulsion system should be at 60 miles (100 km).
“Our vision of Urban Air Mobility will transform the concept of urban transportation,” said Jaiwon Shin, Executive Vice President and Head of Hyundai’s Urban Air Mobility (UAM) Division.
“We expect UAM to vitalize urban communities and provide more quality time to people. We are confident that Uber Elevate is the right partner to make this innovative product readily available to as many customers as possible.”
Neither company said when or where actual trials of the technology will begin.