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It was thought that flying cars would arrive in four years from now, but in reality, commercial models are appearing earlier than expected. The introduction of Kitty Hawk air taxis has already been approved by the FAA to test its prototype in "unencumbered areas". Prototypes of Boeing air taxis are being developed and the company hopes to fly them within a year. The German start-up Volocopter is planning tests in Singapore next year. Audi and Airbus are testing a test that will soon turn into a taxi car service.
"This comes because it's needed," said Robin Lineberger, leader of Deloitte's Aerospace and Defense Industries Group, speculating on why large companies are investing heavily in technology . "We do not have more space on the ground to move cars."
Audi is testing in South America in cooperation with Voom, an Airbus subsidiary. Customers book flights by helicopter to Mexico City or Sao Paulo, while an Audi is ready for travel to or from the landing site. He will provide data to his prototype autonomous electric taxi taxi, whose first public test flight was presented yesterday at the Drone Week in Amsterdam.
During its first public test flight, the Audi and Airbus flight modules accurately placed a pbadenger capsule on the ground module, which was then flown in autonomous vehicle mode. By the beginning of the next decade, it is expected that Audi customers will be able to use a convenient and efficient air taxi service in major cities. It will work both in the sky and on the ground and its goal will be to allow customers to transform driving time into leisure or work time while remaining in the vehicle.
Audi and several of its global automaker competitors view advanced driving services as the inevitable wave of the future.
"More and more people are moving to cities. And more and more people will be mobile thanks to automation. In the future, older people, children and people without a driving license will want to use practical taxis. If we succeed in intelligently dividing traffic between roads and airspace, citizens and cities will benefit equally, "said Dr Bernd Martens, Board Member, Sourcing and IT. at Audi, and president of the Audi subsidiary, Italdesign. Related: How much does OPEC need to reduce to balance the market?
Industry observers and proponents believe that flying cars are now part of the global transportation network and generate up to $ 5 billion annually in service revenues. It is closely linked to automakers and technology giants investing heavily in automated electric vehicles that are expected to arrive on the road soon.
Autonomous vehicles should face a long phase of intense traffic management and competition for road space with cars and trucks driven by humans. Some badysts believe that the worsening of city traffic around the world is causing startups and large companies to explore electric scooters as a mobility option.
Air mobility promises to get vehicles out of congested streets and bring them back quickly to their destination. The high cost of housing in big cities is another incentive to support flying cars. Construction projects are common around the world, but it takes years to complete them. It must also deal with the rise of political opposition in several cities and the dwindling supply of available land.
As for autonomous vehicles, Waymo, Ford, General Motors, Apple, Uber and Lyft are trying to test these vehicles and integrate them into shared driving services for companies and individual cyclists. This is where the concept of "robotaxis" comes from, which has generated a lot of interest and enthusiasm. Younger consumers, in particular, are more interested in practical and affordable attractions than by owning a car. Related: The oil crisis in Mexico worsens
With regard to flying cars, aerospace giants such as Boeing and Airbus, Silicon Valley icons like Uber and auto giants such as Toyota, Volkswagen and Daimler are embarking on the market. Jeff Bezos and Amazon are well known for testing drone package delivery test projects, which will help promote technology in the commercial business sector.
Google's co-founder Larry Page has been instrumental in promoting the new technology. He has supported a startup called Opener that should put its first product up for sale next year.
The operator's first air / ground craft, called BackFly, is able to take off and land vertically. It is fully powered by a recharged battery like an electric car. The startup says that BackFly will be able to fly completely independently, but it is unclear if this flight will be ready when it starts.
While the airline giant Uber continues to push its potential initial public offering until 2019, the company considers its Uber Air flying taxi division to be part of its future. Uber has discussed with several companies, including Textron's Bell, the list of its vehicle concepts with partners. The company hopes that Uber Air has a 100 km taxi range, so that customers can be flown to traffic-jammed cities where Uber already has a strong presence.
By Jon LeSage for Oilprice.com
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