Flying cars could soon become a reality after one of the world's biggest aerospace companies announced plans to test a prototype by the end of this year.
Speaking at a technology conference in Germany, Airbus chief executive Tom Enders said the company is working on "vertical take-off and landing" (VTOL) technology that would allow vehicles to pick up passengers in busy urban areas.
He said: "One hundred years ago, urban transport went underground; now we have the technological wherewithal to go above ground."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Airbus has been investigating ideas such as a helicopter-style vehicle able to carry multiple riders, who book using an app in a manner similar to car-sharing schemes. Enders said it expects to put such vehicles into production by 2021 as part of its Urban Air Mobility division.
Although flying cars have been a staple of science fiction for decades, "investment in the concept is finally emerging", says the Daily Telegraph, adding it could be "a big step towards easing congestion on urban roads".
Google founder Larry Page has invested millions in two flying car start-ups, while Chinese company E-Hang has a prototype design. Ride-sharing company Uber is also researching VTOL, while companies such as Amazon are working on delivery drones.
-
‘This isn’t just semantics’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
October 2 editorial cartoonsCartoons Thursday's political cartoons include ICE on the prowl, Democratic Party leverage, and a difference between Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump.
-
Manchester synagogue attack: what do we know?Today’s Big Question Two dead after car and stabbing attack on holiest day in Jewish year
-
Is the UK government getting too close to Big Tech?Today’s Big Question US-UK tech pact, supported by Nvidia and OpenAI, is part of Silicon Valley drive to ‘lock in’ American AI with US allies
-
Google: A monopoly past its prime?Feature Google’s antitrust case ends with a slap on the wrist as courts struggle to keep up with the tech industry’s rapid changes
-
South Korea's divide over allowing Google MapsTalking Points The country is one of few modern democracies where the app doesn't work
-
Google avoids the worst in antitrust rulingSpeed Read A federal judge rejected the government's request to break up Google
-
Is AI killing the internet?Talking Point AI-powered browsers and search engines are threatening the death of the open web
-
Amazon's robotaxi looks to be Waymo's biggest competitorIn the Spotlight The company recently opened a new robotaxi production plant in California
-
Unreal: A quantum leap in AI videoFeature Google's new Veo 3 is making it harder to distinguish between real videos and AI-generated ones
-
Google's new AI Mode feature hints at the next era of searchIn the Spotlight The search giant is going all in on AI, much to the chagrin of the rest of the web
