Hyundai to Produce Uber's Flying Taxis

CES 2020: Hyundai to Produce Uber's Flying Taxis

The Korean firm unveiled the first prototype.

     In Las Vegas, Uber and Hyundai announced a new partnership at the CES. The Korean manufacturer will design the future flying taxis to be deployed by Uber Elevate.

Producing vehicles in large quantities

     It has been talked about for several years now, and the advent of flying taxis seems closer than ever. It is not for nothing that firms such as Boeing, Airbus, Rolls-Royce, and Volocopter are all working on an urban aircraft concept. 

     However, it seems clear that one company has got a head start on its competitors.

     Indeed, Uber has just joined forces with Hyundai, which will build the flying taxis that the company plans to deploy in 2023. 

     It should be noted that the Korean company is not the first manufacturer to join Uber Elevate since the latter also works with Boeing, Bell, and Embraer.

     "Hyundai is our first automotive partner with extensive experience in large-scale car manufacturing," said Eric Allison, head of Uber Elevate. 

     "We believe that Hyundai has the potential to build Uber Air vehicles at a speed never seen in today's aerospace industry, producing reliable, high-quality aircraft at high volumes to reduce the cost of passengers per trip," he continued. 

     Specifically, Hyundai will produce the vehicles, while Uber will provide the transportation service.

What's this vehicle going to look like?

     At CES, the Korean company Hyundai unveiled a prototype of a flying taxi with four rotors. 

     Able to travel at altitudes ranging from 300 to 600 meters and at a maximum speed of 290 kilometers per hour, the electric vehicle will be able to cover up to 96 kilometers in a single trip. In its early stages, it will have to be controlled by a pilot and will later become autonomous.

     Hyundai has also said that its aircraft will be quieter than a helicopter, but that may still be the equivalent of a more or less bearable sound. 

     The Korean firm has already imagined a flying parking lot that looks like something out of a science fiction movie for its aircraft.

Find all the CES 2020 news on News Tech

     This partnership is part of a much larger project on the part of the builder. Called Smart Mobility Solution Provider, it highlights several mobility systems that will potentially be deployed in the cities of the future.