The South Korean car manufacturer Hyundai and the American shared travel firm Uber collaborate to create an air taxi system that allows passengers to move from one point to another in an equivalent to the current helicopters.
Both companies revealed this week the collaboration agreement within the framework of the CES consumer electronics fair which is celebrated these days in Las Vegas (Nevada, EU).
Under that agreement, Hyundai will be responsible for the manufacture of the vehicles, while Uber will provide logistics so that the service can operate, connect drivers (or, in this case, pilots) with passengers and manage the arrival and collection of users in helipads.
They hope to make the first tests this year and deploy the entire service in 2023.
The air vehicle designed by Hyndai has been baptized as S-A1, will be 100% electric, you can reach 290 kilometers per hour and travel distances of up to 100 kilometers (that is, you will specialize in short journeys of less than 30 minutes).
Since last July, Uber a helicopter service already operates which connects the central New York island of Manhattan with one of the airports that serve the city, the “John F. Kennedy”, with a price per race of between 200 and 225 dollars.
The company launched its “Uber Copter” through the Uber Elevate division, a branch that was created three years ago to explore the possibilities of shared air transport and is available to its members with platinum and diamond status.
In addition to the air journey, Uber Copter includes a car race from the client’s home to a helipad in the lower part of the island, from where the helicopter is taken on an eight-minute journey.
In total, the route -including the land part- can reach half an hour, compared to the long hour (even two) that the service can take by road, or in other means of transport such as trains or the subway .
These helicopters, with two pilots as crew members, can serve up to five people.
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