Marina Bay

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Test flights for Uber-the flying taxis by 2020

There's something about the idea of a flying car that stimulates the Imagination - Maybe it's The Association with the futuristic sci-fi-hit movies or just the idea, to finally find a way, you as a response to the traffic.

And there are hundreds of companies that are in competition with the perfect airborne vehicle, in order to compete with around 175 new designs currently.

can, However, be like a sky-high commuting ever reached, and if it can, it is to be harassed affordable for the average commuter?

The BBC, he met two German companies work, the electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) the level of reality in a recent tech summit in Lisbon .

Volocopters is one of the hundreds of eVTOL aircraft in the development of

Volocopters and Lilium friendly rivals, the appearance of the flying taxi and do your craft in a very different way. Lilium is a shiny white machine, like a plane, while Volocopters futuristic design, the appearance of a drone and a helicopter connects.

Lilium is an electrically powered vehicle is able to fly for an hour on a single charge, but the challenges for the company, from a two-seater model to one that can carry more passengers and to switch from vertical to horizontal flight.

Volocopters is the planning of shorter routes of tailor-made Voloports and up to the year 2035, the have to have dozens of these across Singapore, able to handle 10,000 passengers per day. Finally, you want your craft to be able to land anywhere.

In October, Volocopters flew your taxi on Singapore's Marina Bay and is only a short trip, nearly abandoned because of a heavy downpour.

Test-flights are incredibly important, if companies such as Lilium and Volocopters regulatory want to win, but they are a long way from a regular commute. But both companies claim that their machines, they are affordable for the masses.

"If the trip is short, then the costs are similar to that of a normal taxi, and if it is a longer trip, it is equivalent to a high-speed rail ticket or an economy flight," said Lilium founder Daniel Wiegand.

Volocopters the founder Alexander Zosel's true, say his company is based on three principles. To Travel to the quietest aircraft, "the first, and not to do, toys for boys, but the democratization of the flight. "

An artistic representation of the Lilium aircraft flying in the vicinity of New York

Both want in the Air for real in two to five years, with a human pilot. Completely Autonomous for a few years, that is, the outside of This Time frame.

Mr. Zosel thinks flying taxis can also be normal, beat in the race to be Autonomous.

"On the floor I think it will be difficult, a mix between human drivers and Autonomous vehicles, but in the Air is so much space, and we need to take care, that each pedestrian. "

However, the experts remain skeptical about how quickly these plans can be implemented.

"requires a helicopter is a different level of battery power, endurance and reliability, such as driving a car. We are a long way from there, there are many decades," said aviation expert Richard Aboulafia.

"And if it happens, it is a luxury for rich people. I would be happy if in 20 years, we have had something, driverless cars, let alone that Travel in three dimensions. "

The Problem with the drones, if you fear you carry packages or people, whether it is public acceptance, not least because you could literally fall out of the Air .

cars-drones to compete with delivery drones in the future, what has the sky is very

Mr. Wiegand, a Air full of the drone sounds "scary".

"But you will not hear two or three kilometers in height, so you can or see. "

It's not just start-ups, planning airborne taxis. Uber is planning to pilot its flying taxis in Dallas, Los Angeles and Melbourne, with operations due to start in a similar time frame to 2023.

But the time and cost for the design of these vehicles means that it will fall sometimes, even the big players.

Airbus had with the car-manufacturer Audi on a drone, but that the work was recently put on ice. Audi said it was looking to work with other VW brands, such as Porsche, the investigation of the flying taxis with the rival Boeing.

the announcement of the heart, Audi said it thought it would be a "very long time" before the flies were ready to taxi for mass production.

It looks like the commute with the car and could be the car to come With Us for some time.

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Source of news: bbc.com