Seoul, South Korea – Flying cars will be seen in our cities by 2030, according to Michael Cole, chief executive for European operations at South Korean automaker Hyundai.
“Urban air mobility will offer great opportunity to free up congestion in cities, to help with emissions, whether that’s intra-city mobility in the air or whether it’s even between cities.”
Hyundai is currently investing in the development of flying cars, says Cole. They are also collaborating with Uber to develop a flying taxi.
The Korean manufacturer unveiled a full-scale model of the flying vehicle it is developing with Uber at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in 2020.
Designed for short flights in and between cities, it would be built from lightweight carbon composite materials and seat five people, including a pilot.
“We are looking at the dawn of a completely new era that will open the skies above our cities,” said Hyundai executive vice-president Jaiwon Shin at the time.
Hyundai isn’t the only manufacturer with flying cars in their future.
An aerial-taxi company from Germany, Lilium, successfully tested a five-seater electric flying taxi in 2017, while US aerospace company Boeing revealed a working prototype of a self-piloted passenger drone in 2019.
Some companies may have a head start on Hyundai. Lilium says they will launch their flying taxi by 2025, while Uber plans to hit the skies with Uber Air in 2023.
