Flying Car Prototype Ready By End of 2017, Says Airbus CEO (venturebeat.com)

Airbus plans to test a prototype for a self-piloted flying car as a way of avoiding gridlock on city roads by the end of the year, the aerospace group's chief executive said on Monday. From a report: Airbus last year formed a division called Urban Air Mobility that is exploring concepts such as a vehicle to transport individuals or a helicopter-style vehicle that can carry multiple riders. The aim would be for people to book the vehicle using an app, similar to car-sharing schemes. "One hundred years ago, urban transport went underground, now we have the technological wherewithal to go above ground," Airbus CEO Tom Enders told the DLD digital tech conference in Munich, adding he hoped the Airbus could fly a demonstration vehicle for single-person transport by the end of the year. "We are in an experimentation phase, we take this development very seriously," he said, adding that Airbus recognized such technologies would have to be clean to avoid further polluting congested cities.

Comments

Emergency response

[gnick]

I don't see these being marketed to the masses any time soon - Moving rush hour into the air seems like it would be inviting chaos. Ambulances, however, seem like a perfect fit for this - Skipping traffic could save lives.

Not in the real world

[mykepredko]

I don't see an autonomous flying car in neighbourhoods, except in locales where there aren't:
- Power lines
- Trees
- Pets (and children) that will be blown around lift jets
- Shingled roofs (see previous)
- Anything that can be blown around
- Anything that could come into impact with the flying vehicle

Don't these "futurists" know that their creations won't be allowed to fly/land anywhere aircraft can't fly/land now?

Re:Not in the real world

[swb]

This isn't for you, citizen.

This is for your betters to move between their gated community, private clubs and corporate headquarters, and for essential security personnel to help ensure your safety and political hygiene.

Now move along, citizen.

Re:Boeing or not going

[ColdWetDog]

It's not but there are fully autonomous helicopters being used by the military. That said, there is hopefully still some substantive differences between your typical upscale American suburb and the backwoods of Afghanistan. Noise, the acceptance of a half ton of wrecked aluminum in your back yard, more noise - I just don't see it here in the US.

Not to even get into the limited capacity that air corridors have compared to roads. That could possibly change as autonomous flight allows for closer aircraft spacing, but it's not going to happen quickly.

And that noise... If you think the weeny little Phantom-class drones are going to be shotgun targets, wait until this thing tries to land in your neighbor's yard.

A helicopter-style vehicle?

[quonset]

Which can carry multiple riders? You mean like a helicopter?

Not a crazy idea

[wjcofkc]

Lets go back a few short years...

This whole idea that all electric cars are ever going to be practical or affordable is a pipe dream. I can see hydrogen powered cars being practical in a few decades though. And self-driving? Won't we have to repave all the roads with sensors and put sensors all along the shoulder? That's just dumb, that's just dumb because you can't make a car smart enough to navigate daily traffic with all onboard sensors. What's next, first stage rockets that can fall back from space and land vertically? Right... let's throw in an autonomous electric powered flying bus while we are at it.