The future of the taxi might not just be emissions-free - it may be able to fly you direct to your destination too.
That’s the view of Tokyo-based aero tech start-up SkyDrive, which has unveiled the Model SD-03 eVTOL (electric Vertical Take Off and Landing) at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES).
The SD-03 has already undertaken a piloted test flight, and an improved version of it, called SD-05, is being developed with a view to it working as an air taxi for use at the World Expo 2025 in Osaka.
Featuring eight propellers, the four-metre long and wide and two-metre high vehicle can carry just one person, and fly at a maximum of 31mph for up to 10 minutes. At present the passenger must be able to pilot it.
Its makers say the SD-03 is “designed to vertically take off and land with superb stability” and provide “fast and safe door-to-door transportation anywhere, including uses for emergency rescue”.
"The SD-03 model is the culmination of our expertise in drone technologies and aerodynamic engineering,” said SkyDrive Chief Operating Officer Takehiro Sato.
“What we want to see in the future is that SkyDrive's emission-free vehicles take off from and land in your parking lot and helipads atop buildings, making door-to-door air travel a realistic choice of daily urban transportation.”
SkyDive says the Japanese transportation ministry has already given type certificate permission for SD-05, a milestone it claims no other flying vehicle developers have reached in Japan.
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