Hyundai To Provide Flaying Cars For Uber's Air Taxi Service

At the end of last year, Hyundai introduced its flying cars at Las Vegas-based Consumer Electronics Show and at this year’s CES event, the automaker also brought the prototype to be displayed.

What is new about it is that Hyundai has the plan to mass produce this flying car design and also supply them for Uber’s air taxi service.

Uber first announced the idea of offering flying cars as a service back in 2016. It also said that the first test flight would take place in 2020 and the first vehicle of the network would be launched in 2023. Recently, it said that helicopter service would be introduced for passengers from lower Manhattan to the JFK airport.

Hyundai’s PAV (short for Personal Air Vehicle) features two tilt-rotors on its tail as well as ten others along the cabin that is shaped like an egg. It is designed to vertically take off, cruise in wing-born lift, and then land vertically again.

The flying cars can accommodate up to five passengers and cruise at the speed of 290km per hour at the altitude of up to 600 meters above the ground. According to Hyundai, the PAV’s rotors, powered by electricity, produce less noise than a standard combustion engine, minimalize the worry of noise pollution in urban areas.

It takes around seven minutes for the flying cars to recharge to have enough power for a 100km journey.

Coming along with the PAV is a landing hub as well as an eco-friendly “Purpose Built Vehicle” for easy transport from and to the station. The Purpose Built Vehicle features AI that will propose the optimal travel platoons and routes.

Each of these PBVs can have various functions, including a medical clinic, a transit, and a coffee shop.