Hyundai Motor unveiled its personal air vehicle (PAV) concept at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas on Tuesday (7 January) as the company looked to promote its multi facet smart mobility solutions strategy.
Called S-A1, the 'flying taxi' was developed in partnership with Uber Technologies. Its multiple, electrically driven rotors allow for vertical take off before transitioning to wing-based flight when in cruise mode. It will then switch back for vertical landings. It has a range of 60 miles (100km) and a cruising speed of up to 180mph at an altitude of up to 600metres. Its batteries can be recharged in seven minutes.
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Hyundai said the 'flying taxi' would be operated initially by a pilot but will eventually be driven autonomously once the relevant technology is developed, tested and approved.
Under its partnership with Uber Elevate, Hyundai said it planned to produce and deploy the air vehicles while Uber would provide airspace support services, connections to ground transportation and customer interface through an aerial ride share network. Both parties are collaborating on infrastructure concepts to support take off and landing.
Hyundai executive vice president and head of the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) Division, Jaiwon Shin, said: "Our vision of Urban Air Mobility will transform the concept of urban transportation. We expect UAM to vitalise urban communities and provide more quality time to people. We are confident that Uber Elevate is the right partner to make this innovative product readily available to as many customers as possible."
Head of Uber Elevate Eric Allison said: "Hyundai is our first vehicle partner with experience of manufacturing passenger cars on a global scale. We believe Hyundai has the potential to build Uber Air vehicles at rates unseen in the current aerospace industry, producing high quality, reliable aircraft in high volumes to drive down passenger costs per trip. Combining Hyundai's manufacturing muscle with Uber's technology platform represents a giant leap forward for launching a vibrant air taxi network in the coming years."
