Hyundai and Uber unveiled the S-A1, a mock-up of the flying taxi that the South Korean automaker will develop for the ride-hailing giant. The debut took place at this week's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2020.
According to CNBC, the personal air vehicle (PAV) is expected to carry up to four passengers. Furthermore, the S-A1 should have the capacity of making 60-mile trips with speeds reaching up to 180 mph.
Head of Uber Elevate, Eric Allison, noted that the ride-hailing service is confident in Hyundai's ability to develop Uber Air vehicles that should help improve the aerospace industry in the long run.
The company said it is looking at potential demonstration flights sometime this year so it can keep up with the planned timeline of offering commercial services by 2023. The first areas to see operations should the timeline be met are Melbourne, Australia, Los Angeles, and Dallas.
For its part in the collaboration, Hyundai said Urban Air Mobility (UAM) should help transform the experience of passengers in urban transportation. Executive vice present and head of the company's UAM unit, Jaiwon Shin, said Uber Elevate is "the right partner" to make the vision possible.
To give an example of the possible travel times for flying taxis in the future, Uber Elevate estimated that from the Marina district area to downtown San Jose in Silicon Valley, it would take 15 minutes aboard the S-A1. It is worth noting that by car, the 50-mile distance between the said areas would take up to two hours by car.
Instead of the usual complicated systems used by helicopter operators, Uber Elevate said it is planning to use electric propulsion. This system is believed to be more affordable than helicopter operations.
Engadget reported that at first, the S-A1 will be manned but in the long run, it will be developed for autonomous driving. Previously, Uber forged ties with Boeing, Embraer, and Bell, some of the world's biggest aircraft makers.
With the Hyundai-Uber partnership, this is the latter's first cooperation with an automaker. While both companies have yet to provide a sure date for the official flight of its flying taxi, industry experts expressed high hopes for the air vehicle.
The concept of Uber's air service platform was first introduced in 2016, through a white paper that dubbed the project as Uber Elevate. At that time, the ride-hailing provider projected test flights this year and it appears that cooperation with Hyundai paved the way for the company to be on the right track.
Some industry experts noted that they are looking forward to the parties' reveal about how much the project will cost. Furthermore, some analysts pointed out that technology for flying taxis is still on the early stages so it is unclear when these air vehicles will actually take flight.
