2023-05-27 01:41:22
Despite its technical precision, ‘vertical takeoff and landing’ does not conjure up thrilling visions of zero-emission cityscapes. So let’s call it what we all know it to be: flying cars. And automaker Hyundai believes we’ll see something in the skies by the end of the decade.
“It’s not my division, so that probably indicates it’s not imminent. But we’ve always said that we really see this as part of the solution for mobility in the future.” Hyundai UK boss Michael Cole told the TopGear.com.
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He points to the work the Korean manufacturer has already done with Coventry City Council and the UK government to launch the ‘Air One’. It is not a limited edition prototype, but a hub for future VTOL (flying car) vessels including air taxis and delivery drones that will transport cargo and humans across cities.
In fact, that’s what Cole considers the first step to be. “We might see some intra-city type application with Urban Air Mobility for cargo, but perhaps for passengers. But that’s at the end of this decade and obviously on a smaller scale.”
Last year, Hyundai unveiled renderings of a battery-electric flying car it designed in collaboration with Supernal, a US mobility company owned by Hyundai. The concept featured a five-seat cabin and utilized a recyclable CFRP and carbon fiber cargo in its construction to keep the weight down as well.
At the time, Hyundai and Supernal noted how the concept was designed for short urban travel, with work already under way on a long-range, hydrogen-powered flying car that will arrive in the next decade. Because, as Cole said, “Furthermore, we definitely see this as a viable additional mobility solution that the Group will offer.”
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