The chief executive officer of the Airbus Group talked about its plans of having a prototype of a flying car ready by the end of 2017. The aerospace leader also revealed that they will be making a series of tests on the first self-piloted flying cars this year. The project is reportedly for the company’s aim of avoiding gridlock which they hope to make possible before the year ends.
Numerous reports on further innovations on modern transportation types are early to surface this year. The Airbus Group is among those who are catching public attention most especially that it is aiming to put a solution to the global problem on traffic. The Airbus Group previously formed a division on transportation called the Urban Air Mobility. This department is exploring new transportation concepts such as a flying car which the group envisions to use in transporting an individual, notes Reuters. A bigger helicopter-style vehicle is also targeted which can carry several passengers. The aim of this division is to primarily help people book transportation through an app like car-sharing schemes, according to The Telegraph .
The Airbus CEO Tom Enders told in a digital tech conference in Munich, Germany that while the trend a hundred years ago is to create underground passages for transportation, the present days allow for above ground transport. Enders added that he hopes for the company to fly a prototype for a single-person transport before 2017 ends. He has however admitted that the Airbus is currently in the experimental phase of this project.
While traffic is a primary reason people see for the flying car project, Airbus says it is considering these new technologies on cars to help prevent further polluting congested cities. Enders added that using the sky could reduce costs on city infrastructure planners since there is no more need for concrete bridges and roads. He further revealed that the company is so much invested towards urban mobility and looking into technologies like autonomous driving and artificial intelligence to make the flying car concept possible.
