Uber Inc revealed Tuesday at its Elevate Summit that it has struck partnerships with the cities of Dallas and Dubai to show a network of flying vehicles by 2020. Uber also revealed a handful of collaborations with aviation companies to develop and provide a flying automobile.
Uber thinks that buying flying automobiles is important to safeguarding its company, and pictures full-blown operations of a flying car network introducing in 2023.
“If you’re not planting the seeds for 5-10 years out, you have no company in five to 10 years,” Uber chief product officer Jeff Holden stated.
Uber is presently investing heavily in self-driving automobiles, mindful that its existing business could be interfered with by autonomous vehicles. Now it’s aiming to protect itself from being disrupted by aviation also.
Uber anticipates flight to be become a daily part of transportation. The company thinks it can offer rides in flying vehicles for about the exact same price as an UberX ride. The innovation could be transformative in areas pestered by traffic.
In October, Uber launched its ambitious vision for how flying vehicles, technically known as vertical takeoff and landing vehicles (VTOL), might make transportation extremely fast and cheap.
The technology is likewise largely unverified. Many hurdles remain to making flying vehicles safe, inexpensive and trusted. There will be regulative concerns to address.
However interest in the space is heating up. Technologists are racing to profit from advances in electric power and artificial intelligence. Monday morning, Kitty Hawk launched video of a prototype vehicle that can hang above water. The startup is backed by Google cofounder Larry Page. Airbus (EADSF), the French company, has announced its own preparation for making air taxis.
