Successful Test of Airbus Flying Car

Less than a year ago, Airbus unveiled its flying car at the Geneva Auto Show, and now it has announced that the first tests of the company's flying taxi have been successfully conducted. Last year, the company introduced a project called Urban Airbus, designed for autonomous passenger transport in urban areas, and now Airbus has reported that it has tested this aerial vehicle for the first time. If the Airbus plan is implemented, this flying car could provide a way to escape congested routes and reach destinations more quickly. Airbus intends to collaborate with ride-hailing services to offer its flying taxis, and is currently in discussions with Uber, which is seeking an aerial service for its taxi offerings. The Urban Airbus model was showcased at the Paris Air Show earlier this year; this electric vertical takeoff aircraft is powered by 100-kilowatt electric motors, utilizes eight propellers, and can carry four passengers at a speed of 120 kilometers per hour. Marius Bessell, the head of the Urban Airbus engineering team, stated, 'After conducting this test, we gained a better understanding of the electric propulsion systems of Urban Airbus, and we will conduct more rigorous tests to implement it; at the same time, we are also constructing the main model of Urban Airbus.' Airbus plans to showcase this product in France by 2018. Airbus and Italdesign also unveiled a conceptual vehicle at the 2017 Geneva Auto Show that could revolutionize urban transport. This vehicle, named Pop.Up, consists of a modular two-person cabin and a ground section. This product functions like a car and can take off vertically when traffic is heavy. When passengers reach their destination, both the ground and aerial modules are taken to their respective charging stations and wait for the next passengers. Matheus Thompson, head of Airbus's flying car division, told Radio Farda, 'We might be able to produce this product in ten years, but many things need to advance by then, including artificial intelligence, flight control systems, navigation systems, autonomous driving technology, and of course, safe flight technology; we have already started working on this.' In response to the question of how safe such a vehicle could be, he said, 'Safety in flight is the most important principle for Airbus, and we will not produce this product until we are confident in its safety.' Philippe Perini, design director at Italdesign, one of the world's leading automotive design firms, also spoke about this vehicle to Radio Farda, stating, 'This vehicle consists of three parts: the chassis, the cabin, and a flight system. The combination of these three components can create significant flexibility in transportation; in this way, the cabin can sometimes be integrated into the rail transport system, sometimes move on the road, and if the flight system takes priority, it can fly.' Airbus is not alone in designing flying cars that resemble large drones; many major cities worldwide are pursuing this idea, with Dubai being one of them. Recently, a successful test flight of an aerial taxi was conducted in Dubai. This taxi, which is a combination of a drone and a helicopter, conducted a test flight without passengers. It did not ascend very high, reaching about 200 meters above the ground and flying for about five minutes in an uncrewed state. This aerial taxi, Volocopter, is manufactured by a German company. Other companies from the US and China are also seeking to create aerial taxis, and the closest estimate for the widespread adoption of such vehicles is projected to be in the next five years.