Audi’s flying car

The four-ring manufacturer doesn’t seem to have intended the recently unveiled futuristic concept as a joke.Audi has announced that it intends to add a third dimension to mobility, namely by cutting into testing cars that rise into the air. In addition, the German carmaker will not do it alone, as it will be partnered by the aircraft manufacturer Airbus, as well as by the German government and the management of the city of Ingolstadt.

As part of a project called Urban Air Mobility, new mobility devices that can travel not only on the road but also in the air will be tested near the company’s headquarters in Ingolstadt. An example is Pop.Up Next unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

It is based on a skateboard-like platform with a 15 kWh battery and two electric motors. The 80-horsepower device can cover a distance of about 130 kilometers with the superimposed passenger cabin on a single charge.

However, the latter can be connected not only to the platform rolling on the wheels, but also to a drone-like flying solution, thanks to which Pop.Up Next can easily rise into the air. The quadrocopter has a total of eight propellers, and the total power of the electric motors that drive them is 214 horsepower.

The maximum flight speed is 120 km / h and a maximum of 50 kilometers can be covered in the air with one charge. This can be followed by a quick charge, which takes about 15 minutes. Developed jointly by Audi, Airbus and Italdesign, Pop.Up Next can travel both on the ground and in the air fully automatically, without user intervention.