When are flying car taxis coming ?

With regard to the massively loss-making Uber, it has been suggested in the past that they are also working on a revolution in air transport, and at the same time we have read about the appearance of several other rivals. For the first time, members of the press were able to visit such a competitor, which has been working on its own electric air taxi for 11 years.

Joby Aviation is a company founded by a fanatical engineer who has been dreaming about it for four decades and has now given Bloomberg news agency the opportunity to visit the site. While visiting the facility in Northern California, deliberately located in the countryside away from the hustle and bustle of cities, they were able to look at the helicopter itself as well as the associated control center, but for the time being, they have to listen to technical and physical parameters. Nevertheless, we were able to learn about the main aspects and objectives, and this provides some insight into the dream to be realized.

It is planned that the prototype, dubbed Rachel, and the final version could take to the air with four passengers, traveling at an altitude of roughly 500 to 1,500 meters, with a single charge of 250 kilometers. It would be just a hundred times quieter than a traditional helicopter during takeoff and landing, and would be almost silent while traveling. The existing specimen was taken on a short trip, but it only took 15 minutes with the electric motors and batteries, although the sound was really just reminiscent of a larger swarm of wasps.

The company has just received another larger sum, with $ 100 million from Intel, Toyota, JetBlue and Capricorn Investment. This is three times the amount previously laid together, so work can now continue with renewed vigor. Majors such as Alphabet, Airbus, and Boeing are also present in this area, but implementation is not expected to be available until roughly 10 years from now.