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It’s no secret that Uber is desperate to become the first in many areas of transportation in order to have a future as a company. This is the case with autonomous cabs and it’s true for flying taxis. At the company’s recent Uber Elevate event where it met with and spoke to hundreds of the biggest players in the flying vehicle, the cab-hailing firm made several announcements.
One of the first details that Uber released includes something called the Common Reference Model flying taxi, which is basically its idea of what a flying taxi design should be, WIRED reports. It will basically have a cylindrical body that can seat up to four people, five when including the driver/pilot, which all flying taxis under its banner will have.
The vehicle is intended to be all-electric, will have VTOL capabilities, will have quick recharge times, and will have top speeds of up to 200mph. Suffice it to say, such vehicles would be impressive if built, but Uber has no intention of doing the building. It will leave the more challenging tasks to its recently-announced partners like Karem Aircraft, which seems to have a design that suits Uber’s needs perfectly.
The company is basically building what it calls eVTOL, which is equipped with its patented Optimum Speed Tiltroter technology, TechCrunch reports. This vehicle will basically takeoff like a helicopter but cruise through the skies like an airplane with propellers.
Seeking to maintain good government relations, Uber also recently announced its expanded partnership with NASA via the second Space Act Agreement, The Verge reports. This partnership basically involves Uber providing the space agency with data with regards to its flying taxis. The data is then intended to create simulations for air traffic and airspace management, as well as avoiding incidents of air collisions.
Uber has even formed a partnership with the US Army, presumably to help create similar vehicles for the armed forces. There’s event joint development and funding involved, which effectively makes Uber a military contractor.
