Flying Uber rides in sky @2020
Uber says it wants to "fast forward to the future."
Forget self-driving cars what about flying cars?
Uber announced Tuesday that it's partnering with Dallas and Dubai to make this futuristic idea a reality which is fabulous.
"Imagine if you get up in the morning and go on a six-minute flight," said Jeff Holden Uber's chief product officer. "Versus an hour in a car and, wasting time."
Holden was speaking at Uber's elevate conference in Dallas which held on Tuesday. The ride-hailing company convened the three-day summit to bring together people from aviation technology venture capital vehicle manufacturing and regulation to talk flying cars.
Holden said Uber hopes to demonstrate its fleet of flying cars by 2020 in future, But the company still has to come up with a working prototype models and wade through all sorts of regulatory red tape clearly . It's hoping that by partnering with city governments, like Dallas and Dubai it can speed up that process.
Uber announced its flying car ambitions last October on the technology. Dubbed "Uber, Elevate," the basic idea is to build out a network of small electric, aircraft called VTOLs that can hover take off and land vertically like a helicopter but are more efficient less noisy and cheaper than a chopper. (VTOL stands for vertical takeoff and landing.) Uber envisions VTOLs being used for commuting from suburbs and getting around cities -- kind of like how we use cars today.
"You sit in traffic and you think 'Ugh God, there's got to be a better way,'" Holden said. "It really will change the way people will use their city and the way they get around."
The ride-hailing company appears to be quite serious about its flying, car project. In February it hired former nasa engineer as its director of engineering. And on Tuesday it announced that it's partnering with a handful of aviation companies to work on the technology including Bell Helicopter, Embraer, Aurora Pipistrel and Mooney.
Uber's summit could divert attention from the long string of scandals that have plagued the company over the past few months. Allegations range from Uber higher-ups reportedly tolerant work place harassment to the company knowingly breaking apple's app privacy rule. Several top executives have stepped down in the aftermath.
On top of all of this Google is suing Uber for stealing self driving car technology . A hearing to decide whether the suit will take place in private arbitration or public court is scheduled for Thursday.
But with flying cars hitting the scene maybe Uber can afford to let go of its self-driving car program.
"We're doing what we call 'big bold bets,'" Holden said. "If you're not planting the seeds for five to 10 years out you're not going to have a company in 10 years."
What Uber are actually talking about are the much-less-catchy-and-futuristic-sounding eVTOL aircrafts. eVTOL stands for electric “vertical take-off and landing”, which means – you guessed it – that the aircraft can take off and land vertically, without the need for a runway. Like a helicopter.
But Uber’s eVTOLs will be unlike helicopters in that they will be smaller, quitter, and autonomous, thus able to fly around cities and land without much trouble. At least, this is why Uber are pairing with real estate companies to create landing pads called “vertipods”, and working with the Federal Aviation Administration to ensure air traffic is properly regulated. The company hope to first showcase the new rides at the 2020 World Expo in Dubai, with the first passengers being transported within a decade.
These partnerships and plans - including working with Nasa - mean that Uber’s dreams are far from impossible, but the timescale certainly seems unlikely.
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