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If you’re still getting used to the idea of self-driving cars, then the next leap to flying cars may seem like a distant concept.
But two companies have big plans to bring flying cars to reality very soon.
Imagine never having to worry about traffic jams, stop lights, road construction or potholes. You could soar above the Earth, zipping to your destination in a fraction of the time you’d spend driving on roads.
On the other hand, imagine having to dodge drones and other flying cars. And worry about running out of battery power. And figuring out where to land.
Earlier this week, two companies, Kitty Hawk and Uber, announced their plans to bring flying cars to our world.
Kitty Hawk
Kitty Hawk is a start-up tech company backed by Larry Page, the co-founder of Google. The president of the company is Sebastian Thrun, who helped start Google’s self-driving car project.
Thrun announced Kitty Hawk’s flying car plans Monday in a tweet.
Changing the future of personal transportation. Join us @kittyhawkcorp to get information about #theFlyer prototype https://t.co/mbX5Z0WpTo
— Sebastian Thrun (@SebastianThrun) April 24, 2017
The car is electric-powered and propelled by eight rotor blades. Kitty Hawk wants you to be able to buy their flying car by the end of 2017.
According to the Kitty Hawk website, the car will be able to travel at speeds up to 25 mph (40/kmh) and, under US aviation law, “does not require registration or a pilot’s license and may be flown in uncongested areas for recreational purposes.” As of now, the car can only be flown over fresh water.
This video shows the Kitty Hawk flying car in action:
Kitty Hawk anticipates that the final design will be different from the prototype shown in the video above.
The company is taking reservations for buying its flying car now by putting down a deposit of $100. Early adopters will get a discount of $2000 off the final cost, but the price of the vehicle hasn’t been announced yet. Kitty Hawk expects to make the first deliveries by the end of 2017.
Uber Flying Taxis
Don’t feel like driving a flying car yourself? Uber has plans for flying taxis to begin carrying passengers in 2020. At its Uber Elevate conference this week, the company announced plans to launch its first flying fleets in Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas, US and Dubai, UAE.
Unlike Kitty Hawk, Uber doesn’t plan to build its flying cars itself. Instead, it’s counting on partner companies who want to transport Uber’s customer base with their flying vehicles.
Like Kitty Hawk, Uber flying taxis will use electric power.
Uber’s flying taxis would have the capability to travel up to 150 mph (241 kmh). The company gave the example of cutting the commute time between San Francisco and San Jose, California from 2 hours to a mere 15 minutes.
You could use the Uber app to book a flying taxi to take you to your destination. No word on how much more expensive air taxi fare will be than ground taxi fare.
Poll
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Your Thoughts
Are you going to be putting a deposit down on a Kitty Hawk flying car? Do you think flying cars are a good idea? Would you ride in an Uber flying taxi?
Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!
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There was a thing on the news about this the other day – AeroMobil have also got one about to launch within the next 3 years. Looks like this is actually going to happen! Very excited, I want one!
Hi Michelle, Yes, this is very exciting news. Imagine 10 years from now if flying cars are more popular than on-road cars. Hard to picture, but technology is changing very rapidly!
I hope you do get one, Michelle. You could reserve a Kitty Hawk now, but there isn’t any information about how much one will actually cost, so it’s still a bit of a gamble.
I bet that the price would be something like $100k, that’s just too expensive for my budget right now. Give it a few years & when the adoption rate makes it mainstream then I’m sure the costs will be much more bearable 🙂
Besides that, my partner thinks I’m too dangerous to be allowed out on rollerskates…. heaven help me if I get loose in an aircraft!!!
Hi Michelle, You bring up some excellent points. We have no idea how much these Kitty Hawk cars are going to cost. They could be $100,000 vs. $1 million vs. $10,000. Putting $100 deposit down doesn’t sound like a lot, but we don’t know what percentage of the purchase price that is!
We also don’t know what the Kitty Hawk will look like. Their website said the vehicle will look different from the one shown in the video. We don’t know how different or what the final product will be.
You’re right, the price of tech generally comes down over the years. I think this is a gadget we should wait on to see what it looks like, what it costs, and how safe it will be.
Hi Carolyn,
I will be waiting for the flying cars. As I am a big fan of star wars, so is good news for me.
Thanks for the great share.
Hi Robin, Flying cars really do seem as if they belong in science fiction movies such as Star Wars. It’s pretty amazing to think they may be here by the end of the year. It will be interesting to see who is brave enough to be among the first to try these new vehicles. They will be vertical pioneers!