Uber wants to give first demonstration with electric flying taxis in 2020
Uber plans to make its first public demonstration in 2020 of a network of electric-powered flying taxis that will transport passengers at speeds of up to 150 mph in urban areas.
To achieve this goal, Uber is partnering with the governments of Dubai and Fort Worth, Texas. The flying taxi will be the first to be used in these cities. Uber has signed agreements with five aircraft manufacturers to create a lightweight, all-electric aircraft that can take off and land vertically. These five manufacturers are Aurora Flight Sciences, Pipistrel Aircraft, Embraer, Mooney and Bell Helicopter. Business Insider reports this based on information shared by Jeff Holden, Uber’s chief product officer, during the Uber Elevate Summit in Dallas.
According to Holden, it is a matter of pressing a button to order a flying taxi. This service will be called Uber Elevate. Initially, Uber thinks that passengers will have to pay about 1.20 euros per mile for the service, which is slightly higher than Uber’s regular taxi service with cars on the road. In time, the company believes that flying costs will become cheaper than owning a car.
Uber has partnered with Hillwood Properties to create four ‘vertiports’. These are converted parking garages and helipads that can accommodate multiple flying taxis to take off and land. These plans will start next year, according to Holden. Uber is collaborating with ChargePoint, a company that will develop charging points for the taxis.
One of the manufacturers that Uber works with is Aurora. The company’s concept is derived from the US Department of Defense’s XV-24A X-plane program and other Aurora autonomous flying aircraft. For the design of the Uber Elevate, Aurora uses the Centaur’s autonomous flight guidance system, a regular-looking twin-engine aircraft that can be flown both autonomously and manually. In addition, it uses the obstacle and collision avoidance system of the AACUS program of autonomous helicopters, and the propulsion system of the XV-24A.
This technology suggests that Uber’s aircraft will fly autonomously, but a document released by Uber last year states that pilots will be used in the initial phase, after which work is gradually being done on approval to fly fully autonomously. This means that the design will have at least two seats, so one seat for a passenger.
Later, the pilot may no longer be in the cockpit and will be moved to a spot on the ground to control the flying taxi from a control station. Ultimately, however, Uber wants to move towards a situation in which the aircraft can fly completely autonomously. The chance that the self-flying taxi will encounter problems during the cruise flight phase that the software and sensors cannot solve is relatively small, according to Uber.