Hyundai Motor Company and Uber have partnered to produce flying taxis, with the goal of providing air taxis by 2023. The South Korean carmaker will mass produce four-passenger aerial taxis in partnership with Uber Elevate. This partnership was announced on January 8, 2020, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
The reason behind this partnership is to expand Uber’s services by offering air flights, which will begin this year. Uber Elevate was officially launched in 2016, and it currently partners with other aircraft manufacturers to expand the ride-hailing company’s services.
According to Eric Allison, Head of Uber Elevate, the company aims to “smooth connect riders from cars, trains and even bikes to aircraft” with its innovative transportation apps options. Allison said, “By taking transportation out of the two-dimensional grid on the ground and moving it into the sky, we can offer significant time savings to our riders.” This partnership with Hyundai is a significant step towards achieving this goal. The aircraft to be produced by Hyundai is the S-A1 model, which was show at the CES in Las Vegas.
The S-A1 model has a cruising speed of up to 180 miles (290 km) per hour and is designed with multiple rotors, some for keeping it on air and some for noise reduction. The company anticipates that the “electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles” would take a 50-mile trip for only 15 minutes, way faster compared to riding a car which will take approximately 2 hours.
Jaiwon Shin, Executive Vice President and Head of Hyundai’s Urban Air Mobility Division, said he hopes that the air taxis could be made “affordable for everyone.” Apart from the S-A1 model aircraft, Hyundai has introduced numerous projects related to urban air mobility. These include the downsized equivalent of a flying taxi air terminal called “hub” and the autonomous shuttle dubbed “purpose-built vehicle.” These projects demonstrate Hyundai’s commitment to developing innovative solutions for urban air mobility.
The partnership with Uber Elevate is a significant step towards achieving this goal, and the company is expected to play a major role in shaping the future of urban air mobility. The production of flying taxis by Hyundai and Uber is a significant development in the field of urban air mobility. The potential benefits of air taxis are numerous, including reduced traffic congestion, faster travel times, and increased mobility for people with disabilities.
However, there are also challenges to be addressed, such as safety concerns, noise pollution, and infrastructure development. According to Allison, the company is working to address these challenges and make air taxis a reality by 2023.
As Shin said, the goal is to make air taxis “affordable for everyone,” which would require significant investment in infrastructure and technology. The partnership between Hyundai and Uber is a significant step towards making air taxis a reality. With the production of the S-A1 model aircraft and the introduction of numerous projects related to urban air mobility, Hyundai is demonstrating its commitment to developing innovative solutions for the future of transportation.
As the company works to address the challenges associated with air taxis, it is likely that we will see significant developments in the field of urban air mobility in the coming years. The potential benefits of air taxis are numerous, and the partnership between Hyundai and Uber is a significant step towards making this vision a reality.
