South Korean Hyundai has announced that it will produce flying vehicles for Uber, which plans to launch a network of shared flying taxis in 2023.
The car company said in a statement that it would manufacture these 100% electric vehicles, capable of carrying four people, on an industrial scale.
The agreement between Uber and Hyundai was announced at the Consumer Electronics technology show in Las Vegas. Uber’s short term goal is to have flying taxis deployed in a few major world cities by 2023.
Jaiwon Shin, head of Hyundai's urban air mobility division, says he expects costs to remain reasonable through large-scale manufacturing. "We know how to mass produce high quality vehicles."
The partnership must ensure that these short-haul ‘flying taxis’ are "affordable for everyone," he adds. By taking the transport "in the air, we can significantly save time for our passengers," underlines Eric Allison, Head of Uber Elevate.
Uber has announced that it has chosen Melbourne, Australia, in addition to Dallas and Los Angeles in the United States, to become the first cities to offer Uber Air flights.
The Brussels Times
