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Airbus to test flying car prototype by the end of 2017

Airbus, one of the largest manufacturers of civil aircrafts in the world, will start testing a small flying car prototype by the end of this year. The announcement was made by the company's Chief Executive - Tom Enders.

Airbus' plans to develop a flying car came to light last year when the company formed an in-house division called Urban Air Mobility. This division has been dedicatedly working on a helicopter-style urban transport vehicle which will have the ability to carry multiple riders. These vehicles will be equipped with vertical take-off and landing (VTAL) technology that will help the vehicle to access urban areas.

Airbus plans to start production of such vehicles by 2021. The company is aiming to use them for providing ride sharing services, as part of which, customers will be able to hail a ride by booking the vehicle through a smartphone app.

While talks about flying cars have been doing rounds for quite a while, the domain has seen some major interest from large commercial companies in the past couple of years. Google's founder Larry Page has openly talked about his interest in the field of flying cars and has even invested millions in a couple of start-ups in the field. There are a few Chinese companies as well who claim to have developed prototypes of flying cars. Airbus believes that since it already has experience in the aviation field, the company is in the best position to take a go at the flying car technology.

Source: Telegraph

 
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