The dream of flying over the city like one would drive the streets may become a reality soon. Japan’s SkyDrive Inc. has successfully tested a battery-powered flying car in Japan. It is for the first time that the startup successfully managed to make the vehicle stay above the ground for quite some time with one person aboard. Expectations are that the company will start its services for the public in 2023. The test clearly demonstrates the technological abilities of Japan in the auto industry. However, the firm still needs to work on improving its technology and overcome many hurdles. The company already envisions to have drone-like vehicles driving on the city streets by 2030 for everyday commuting.
Japan Flying Car Flight Duration and Height?
In a YouTube video from Bloomberg, the flying car looks like a slick motorcycle with propellers attached on its sides. The vehicle lifted about 2 meters off the ground and hovered around slowly for four minutes. The company did the test in a netted area, probably to prevent unforeseen damages if the test failed. Tomohiro Fukuzawa, the head of SkyDrive, said that they could make the flying car a real-life product by 2023. At the same time, he pointed out the importance of safety too.
Currently, the flying car is capable of flying for only a few minutes. The machine does not last for more than 10 minutes in the air. Fakuzawa said if they can increase the flight time to 30 minutes, they will start exporting the machine to places like China.
Scope of Flying Cars
The best thing about the flying cars is that they can offer quick point-to-point personal travel. If this mode of transport becomes a reality, it will take away the hassle of airports and traffic jams. Also, it’d greatly help in reducing air pollution because of the complete reliance on batteries.
There are still many challenges that the company needs to address before the technology can be commercialized. Things like challenges in the battery size, air traffic control, and issues in other infrastructure need to be addressed first.
The project was initially started as a volunteer project in 2012 and was called Cartivator. The funding was then provided by companies like Toyota and Panasonic.
