Buckle up, flying cars are poised to take off (3)

Boeing plans to develop a system to track an unmanned vehicle in flight. (Photo/CHINA DAILY)

Steve Nordlund, vice-president of Boeing Next, said, "Boeing is leading the responsible introduction of a new mobility ecosystem, instead of just focusing on vehicles.

"Through our technology development and investments, as well as our work with industry leaders, new and existing partners, and regulators, we are uniting the key enablers and stakeholders to make the future mobility ecosystem a reality," he said.

"Cargo and passenger air vehicle prototypes are being built and tested right now. The introduction of these new technologies won't all happen at once; proven technologies will be phased in only after they have gone through a robust development process that includes rigorous testing."

Most important, in Nordlund's view, there must be a new transportation ecosystem that allows autonomous and piloted air vehicles to coexist safely.

He said a number of operating and business models are being considered－everything from shared air mobility (air taxis) to personal ownership (cars).

"In all of these models, the technology will make urban transport clean, quiet, accessible and safe," he said.

Autonomy will be integral to the future of air mobility, and travel needs to be safe, reliable and accessible.

Boeing said it is building technology that will enable both fully autonomous vehicle operations as well as intelligent systems that will assist pilots during routine operations.

"We are designing, building and flight-testing electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles that will provide on-demand cargo transport and urban air travel in the future mobility ecosystem," Nordlund said.

In May, at the World Business Forum in Sydney, one of the world's leading futurists, Shara Evans, said flying taxis and flying cars "are no longer science fiction but a reality".

She told China Daily flying cars will be in the air within the next decade.

Uber's CEO Dara Khosrowshahi this year recommitted to the company's goal of offering flying taxis as a transportation option within the next five to 10 years.

UberAir aims to fly vehicles at low altitudes as part of a network of small eVTOL planes that fly short distances. This is something the company has talked about since 2016, targeting demonstration flights in Los Angeles by 2020.

In April last year, Kitty Hawk, the flying car company backed by Google cofounder Larry Page, released the first footage of a prototype in action.

The vehicle will sit well with environmental activists, as it is fully electric. The company said the vehicle will be ideal for shorter, city-to-city flights, with a range of 100 km and a maximum speed of about 150 km/h. To operate it, a runway will not be needed, as it can take off and land vertically. Of course, users will not actually be operating it, as the vehicle is self-piloting.

The company has named it Cora. It also said it is meant to be much more than just a flying car－it is a flying taxi.

In a media release, Kitty Hawk said it is working with the New Zealand government to commercialize the flying taxi. The two sides aim to see a commercial network of air taxis soaring above New Zealand cities in as little as three years.

Kitty Hawk settled on New Zealand because of its uncongested airspace and rigorous regulatory environment. But more important, the government embraced the idea.

Cora has been granted an experimental airworthiness certificate by the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand.

Trialing the flying taxi service will reportedly take six years, with operations based around the city of Christchurch.

Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel said, "This aircraft represents the evolution of the transport ecosystem to one that responds to a global challenge around traffic and congestion, and is kinder to the planet."