Uber ventures into aerial travel: Proposed shared flight experiences
Airbus, NASA, and several other organisations are leading the charge in the development of electric aircraft and vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicles, with the aim of revolutionising urban transportation.
Freelance journalist Wolfgang Kempkens, who specialises in environmental, energy, and technology topics, reports that Airbus Helicopter is developing the CityAirbus, an electrically powered aircraft designed to transport multiple people and cargo. The company already has experience with electric aircraft, having built the E-Fan, a two-seater plane powered solely by electricity.
The E-Fan was intended for mass production and was used for basic pilot training. The first E-Fan aircraft were expected to be delivered in 2017, although they may not necessarily be the suitable aircraft for air taxis. Nevertheless, they are part of Airbus' electric aircraft development.
Uber, the ride-sharing giant, plans to enter the air taxi business using VTOL aircraft. The first air taxis for Uber, planned to be offered in about ten years, are being developed by Joby Aviation. Joby took over Uber's flight taxi division Elevate in 2020 and has been cooperating with Uber since 2019.
Joby's electric air taxi is designed to be much quieter than traditional helicopters and aims for market introduction after certification in cities like Dubai, New York, Los Angeles, Great Britain, and Japan. Many legal questions will need to be addressed for the implementation of air taxis.
Darpa and Airbus are working together to develop the necessary VTOL aircraft for Uber's air-sharing opportunities. Darpa has designed a VTOL Experimental Plane with 24 rotors on its wings for takeoff and landing. NASA has also sent a prototype of a 24-rotor vertical takeoff aircraft into the air.
The new NASA drone GL-10 can take off like a helicopter and fly like an airplane. Similarly, the Vahana project, started in February 2017 and being worked on at A3, an Airbus outpost in the Silicon Valley, is focused on developing an autonomous air taxi for one passenger.
The new air taxis could be deployed in megacities to bypass traffic and shorten travel times. The wingspan of the GL-10 reaches three meters, and the CityAirbus is intended to help reduce noise and air pollution in urban areas.
Infrastructure, such as landing pads, will be required for air taxis. Uber manager Holden predicts that the first air taxis will take off in ten years. The first prototype of the Vahana project is expected to take off by the end of 2017.
As the development of electric aircraft and VTOL vehicles progresses, it seems that the future of urban transportation could be significantly different from what we know today. The potential benefits, including reduced traffic congestion and shorter travel times, make this an exciting area to watch.
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