OT: OMG!!! I found MY NEW way to go to work!!! Who wants one??!!

[Guest]

Tie-ups in the skyIn
January, Toyota said it is investing $394 million into Silicon
Valley-based Joby Aviation, which is developing a piloted all-electric
vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi. The move, part of a
financing round worth $590 million, will help Joby launch an electric
air-taxi service by 2023 and gives the company access to Toyota’s
prowess in manufacturing, quality and cost control. The start-up is
building a prototype that it says should eventually approach the cost of
ground transportation and help a billion people save more than an hour
in commuting time every day.

Joby Aviation is developing electric passenger planes and an air taxi service.

 
“Joby
has developed advanced technology and integrated it into an amazing
aircraft through thoughtful design; this is the key to successful market
entry and the commercial success of our products,” says Joby
spokesperson Mojgan Khalili. “Joby Aviation’s aircraft is designed for
four passengers plus a pilot. It can travel more than 150 miles on a
single charge, is 100 times quieter than conventional aircraft during
takeoff and landing, and is near silent in flyover.”
In another Asian-American partnership, South Korean carmaker Hyundai and Uber showed off a mockup of a large flying taxi at
the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas for the Uber Elevate aerial
ride-hailing service. The electrically powered PAV or “personal air
vehicle,” will have the capability of carrying four passengers
on trips of up to 60 miles at speeds reaching 180 mph. They will be
able to cruise at altitudes up to 2,000 ft. Hyundai said the
all-electric craft could be recharged in minutes, but did not elaborate
on how.
Uber has said it wants to begin testing of vertical
takeoff and landing vehicles in 2020 and launch its first official ride
three years later, rolling out services in Dallas, Los Angeles and
Melbourne. It aims to make flying taxis cheaper than owning passenger
cars. Uber Elevate is planning to begin demonstration flights this
year. 
“We believe Hyundai has the potential to build Uber Air
vehicles at rates unseen in the current aerospace industry, producing
high quality, reliable aircraft at high volumes to drive down passenger
costs per trip,” Eric Allison, head of Uber Elevate, said in a release.
“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.”

Hyundai
Motor and Uber have announced a new partnership to develop Uber Air
Taxis for a future aerial ride share network and unveiled a new
full-scale aircraft concept at CES.Hyundai

Toyota,
Joby, Uber and Hyundai are working in a field that’s already crowded
with contenders. Boeing, another partner in the Uber Elevate program,
has already begun flight tests of its prototype air taxi. German
start-up Lilium Aviation sent a prototype remote-controlled, jet-powered
eVTOL on its maiden flight last year and later completed the first phase of testing. Stuttgart-based Volocopter, backed by Intel, Daimler and Geely, has apparently logged over 1,000 test flights and aims for fully autonomous commercial flights in five to 10 years.
 

[Guest]

Turbulence before takeoff“Air
taxis are definitely the next phase of mobility,” says Joe Praveen
Vijayakumar, Frost & Sullivan senior industry analyst. “Urban
centers across the globe are struggling to come to terms with the rising
vehicle numbers and the resulting congestion, especially during peak
traffic hours. When air taxis become widely commercialized, they will
definitely ease the traffic burden on city roads. They will usher in a
nimble form of intracity travel, transporting people on the shortest
possible route between two locations.”
But growth faces hurdles. Incidents like the death of basketball legend Kobe Bryant in a helicopter crash
have highlighted safety concerns of flying taxis. While the first
flying taxi services may have human pilots, later replaced by
remote-controlled or AI-powered autonomous vehicles, regulators around
the world have been trying to get ahead of the commercialization rush by
creating standards and virtual sandboxes where developers can
experiment. Aside from risks to passengers and people on the ground, air
taxis could pose hazards for other aircraft.
They could also
become a target for hackers. The regulations in development will cover
everything from vehicle safety, airworthiness and traffic control to
noise pollution, operator certification and software security.  

Boeing’s first test of its Uber Air air taxi.Source: Boeing Corp.

 “Everyone
in the industry proceeds as though safety is guaranteed and technology
will solve everything, which, as we know, is never the case,” says
Dominic Perry, an aviation journalist and deputy editor of Flight
International. “In the scramble to produce the air vehicles, there are
also few companies giving due consideration to the infrastructure
required to operate them, or the industrialization and resources
required to build them in the first place.”
Even if safety can be
assured, cost is another big barrier. Morgan Stanley analyst Rajeev
Lalwani has speculated that the market could begin as “an ultra-niche
add-on to existing transportation infrastructure, similar to how
helicopters operate today.” Personal helicopter travel has been around
for a long time but hasn’t expanded beyond wealthy passengers, and it’s
perhaps no surprise that Boeing and Porsche have joined hands
to explore vehicles for the “premium urban air mobility market.” The
question is whether automation can lower costs. Lilium Chief Commercial
Officer Remo Gerber told CNBC that
flights could take passengers from Manhattan to JFK Airport within six
minutes for about $70; much less than Uber’s helicopter rides, which
cost about $200 to $225 for the same trip.

When
air taxis become widely commercialized, they will definitely ease the
traffic burden on city roads. They will usher in a nimble form of
intracity travel, transporting people on the shortest possible route
between two locations.

Joe Praveen Vijayakumarsenior industry analyst, Frost & Sullivan

“If
they are priced correctly, air taxis may be able to democratize travel
in cities where there is no public transport alternative or where the
congestion and size of the urban area (Sao Paulo is the classic example)
are so great,” adds Perry. “If, however, they simply become another
helicopter service for the rich, then all they will be doing is
transforming the mobility of the wealthy, further increasing a divide
between rich and poor. Will they alleviate ground congestion? Almost
certainly not.”
Surviving the shakeoutIt’s
early to pick winners in the air-taxi race, but beyond regulations,
safety and cost, a few factors are key. One is the ability to work with
different players in all the different industries needed to make air
taxis work, such as aviation, automotive, telecom, software,
cybersecurity and real estate. Another is being able to work with
governments to ensure the adoption of regulations supporting commercial
air taxi services.
“As for which brands will have an edge,
definitely companies from the aviation industry which have entered the
market, including Boeing, Airbus, Bell, etc., will definitely have an
advantage because of their already existing aerospace expertise,” says
Vijayakumar, referring to their long history of making commercial jets
and helicopters. “Among the UAM start-ups, Volocopter, Kitty Hawk,
Lilium and Joby Aviation look promising to commercialize.”
 Perry
believes many players will founder while struggling to shoulder the
significant costs of developing air vehicles—Lilium founder and CEO
Daniel Wiegand pegged them at “several million” — and will hold out hope for buyouts by white knights like Boeing or Airbus.
“There
seem to be a lot of companies drawn to the space from the tech sector
where the attitude is all about challenging convention and while this
can be healthy — all industries need a shakeup from time to time — there
are a lot of rules and regulations in aerospace for a good reason,” he
adds. “My suspicion is that a lot of Silicon Valley-type firms will also
look to sell out at some point, with their IP the big value for them.”

[Guest]

@HappyViking said:
Turbulence before takeoff

“Air
taxis are definitely the next phase of mobility,” says Joe Praveen
Vijayakumar, Frost & Sullivan senior industry analyst. “Urban
centers across the globe are struggling to come to terms with the rising
vehicle numbers and the resulting congestion, especially during peak
traffic hours. When air taxis become widely commercialized, they will
definitely ease the traffic burden on city roads. They will usher in a
nimble form of intracity travel, transporting people on the shortest
possible route between two locations.”
But growth faces hurdles. Incidents like the death of basketball legend Kobe Bryant in a helicopter crash
have highlighted safety concerns of flying taxis. While the first
flying taxi services may have human pilots, later replaced by
remote-controlled or AI-powered autonomous vehicles, regulators around
the world have been trying to get ahead of the commercialization rush by
creating standards and virtual sandboxes where developers can
experiment. Aside from risks to passengers and people on the ground, air
taxis could pose hazards for other aircraft.
They could also
become a target for hackers. The regulations in development will cover
everything from vehicle safety, airworthiness and traffic control to
noise pollution, operator certification and software security.  

Boeing’s first test of its Uber Air air taxi.Source: Boeing Corp.

 “Everyone
in the industry proceeds as though safety is guaranteed and technology
will solve everything, which, as we know, is never the case,” says
Dominic Perry, an aviation journalist and deputy editor of Flight
International. “In the scramble to produce the air vehicles, there are
also few companies giving due consideration to the infrastructure
required to operate them, or the industrialization and resources
required to build them in the first place.”
Even if safety can be
assured, cost is another big barrier. Morgan Stanley analyst Rajeev
Lalwani has speculated that the market could begin as “an ultra-niche
add-on to existing transportation infrastructure, similar to how
helicopters operate today.” Personal helicopter travel has been around
for a long time but hasn’t expanded beyond wealthy passengers, and it’s
perhaps no surprise that Boeing and Porsche have joined hands
to explore vehicles for the “premium urban air mobility market.” The
question is whether automation can lower costs. Lilium Chief Commercial
Officer Remo Gerber told CNBC that
flights could take passengers from Manhattan to JFK Airport within six
minutes for about $70; much less than Uber’s helicopter rides, which
cost about $200 to $225 for the same trip.

When
air taxis become widely commercialized, they will definitely ease the
traffic burden on city roads. They will usher in a nimble form of
intracity travel, transporting people on the shortest possible route
between two locations.

Joe Praveen Vijayakumarsenior industry analyst, Frost & Sullivan

“If
they are priced correctly, air taxis may be able to democratize travel
in cities where there is no public transport alternative or where the
congestion and size of the urban area (Sao Paulo is the classic example)
are so great,” adds Perry. “If, however, they simply become another
helicopter service for the rich, then all they will be doing is
transforming the mobility of the wealthy, further increasing a divide
between rich and poor. Will they alleviate ground congestion? Almost
certainly not.”
Surviving the shakeoutIt’s
early to pick winners in the air-taxi race, but beyond regulations,
safety and cost, a few factors are key. One is the ability to work with
different players in all the different industries needed to make air
taxis work, such as aviation, automotive, telecom, software,
cybersecurity and real estate. Another is being able to work with
governments to ensure the adoption of regulations supporting commercial
air taxi services.
“As for which brands will have an edge,
definitely companies from the aviation industry which have entered the
market, including Boeing, Airbus, Bell, etc., will definitely have an
advantage because of their already existing aerospace expertise,” says
Vijayakumar, referring to their long history of making commercial jets
and helicopters. “Among the UAM start-ups, Volocopter, Kitty Hawk,
Lilium and Joby Aviation look promising to commercialize.”
 Perry
believes many players will founder while struggling to shoulder the
significant costs of developing air vehicles—Lilium founder and CEO
Daniel Wiegand pegged them at “several million” — and will hold out hope for buyouts by white knights like Boeing or Airbus.
“There
seem to be a lot of companies drawn to the space from the tech sector
where the attitude is all about challenging convention and while this
can be healthy — all industries need a shakeup from time to time — there
are a lot of rules and regulations in aerospace for a good reason,” he
adds. “My suspicion is that a lot of Silicon Valley-type firms will also
look to sell out at some point, with their IP the big value for them.”

Like I said, its cool stuff....but really, REALLY far off from being a reality in any meaningful way. Much longer than 20 years. Good article that shows the neatness of it but the reality also. 

[Guest]

@StickyBun said:

@HappyViking said:
Turbulence before takeoff

“Air
taxis are definitely the next phase of mobility,” says Joe Praveen
Vijayakumar, Frost & Sullivan senior industry analyst. “Urban
centers across the globe are struggling to come to terms with the rising
vehicle numbers and the resulting congestion, especially during peak
traffic hours. When air taxis become widely commercialized, they will
definitely ease the traffic burden on city roads. They will usher in a
nimble form of intracity travel, transporting people on the shortest
possible route between two locations.”
But growth faces hurdles. Incidents like the death of basketball legend Kobe Bryant in a helicopter crash
have highlighted safety concerns of flying taxis. While the first
flying taxi services may have human pilots, later replaced by
remote-controlled or AI-powered autonomous vehicles, regulators around
the world have been trying to get ahead of the commercialization rush by
creating standards and virtual sandboxes where developers can
experiment. Aside from risks to passengers and people on the ground, air
taxis could pose hazards for other aircraft.
They could also
become a target for hackers. The regulations in development will cover
everything from vehicle safety, airworthiness and traffic control to
noise pollution, operator certification and software security.  

Boeing’s first test of its Uber Air air taxi.Source: Boeing Corp.

 “Everyone
in the industry proceeds as though safety is guaranteed and technology
will solve everything, which, as we know, is never the case,” says
Dominic Perry, an aviation journalist and deputy editor of Flight
International. “In the scramble to produce the air vehicles, there are
also few companies giving due consideration to the infrastructure
required to operate them, or the industrialization and resources
required to build them in the first place.”
Even if safety can be
assured, cost is another big barrier. Morgan Stanley analyst Rajeev
Lalwani has speculated that the market could begin as “an ultra-niche
add-on to existing transportation infrastructure, similar to how
helicopters operate today.” Personal helicopter travel has been around
for a long time but hasn’t expanded beyond wealthy passengers, and it’s
perhaps no surprise that Boeing and Porsche have joined hands
to explore vehicles for the “premium urban air mobility market.” The
question is whether automation can lower costs. Lilium Chief Commercial
Officer Remo Gerber told CNBC that
flights could take passengers from Manhattan to JFK Airport within six
minutes for about $70; much less than Uber’s helicopter rides, which
cost about $200 to $225 for the same trip.

When
air taxis become widely commercialized, they will definitely ease the
traffic burden on city roads. They will usher in a nimble form of
intracity travel, transporting people on the shortest possible route
between two locations.

Joe Praveen Vijayakumarsenior industry analyst, Frost & Sullivan

“If
they are priced correctly, air taxis may be able to democratize travel
in cities where there is no public transport alternative or where the
congestion and size of the urban area (Sao Paulo is the classic example)
are so great,” adds Perry. “If, however, they simply become another
helicopter service for the rich, then all they will be doing is
transforming the mobility of the wealthy, further increasing a divide
between rich and poor. Will they alleviate ground congestion? Almost
certainly not.”
Surviving the shakeoutIt’s
early to pick winners in the air-taxi race, but beyond regulations,
safety and cost, a few factors are key. One is the ability to work with
different players in all the different industries needed to make air
taxis work, such as aviation, automotive, telecom, software,
cybersecurity and real estate. Another is being able to work with
governments to ensure the adoption of regulations supporting commercial
air taxi services.
“As for which brands will have an edge,
definitely companies from the aviation industry which have entered the
market, including Boeing, Airbus, Bell, etc., will definitely have an
advantage because of their already existing aerospace expertise,” says
Vijayakumar, referring to their long history of making commercial jets
and helicopters. “Among the UAM start-ups, Volocopter, Kitty Hawk,
Lilium and Joby Aviation look promising to commercialize.”
 Perry
believes many players will founder while struggling to shoulder the
significant costs of developing air vehicles—Lilium founder and CEO
Daniel Wiegand pegged them at “several million” — and will hold out hope for buyouts by white knights like Boeing or Airbus.
“There
seem to be a lot of companies drawn to the space from the tech sector
where the attitude is all about challenging convention and while this
can be healthy — all industries need a shakeup from time to time — there
are a lot of rules and regulations in aerospace for a good reason,” he
adds. “My suspicion is that a lot of Silicon Valley-type firms will also
look to sell out at some point, with their IP the big value for them.”

Like I said, its cool stuff....but really, REALLY far off from being a reality in any meaningful way. Much longer than 20 years. Good article that shows the neatness of it but the reality also. 

I barely trust cabbies these days,  I sure as hell am not going to trust one flying,  and dont even get me started on autonomous vehicles (ground or otherwise)