Google co-founder’s secret flying car bet

High-flying Larry Page, co-founder of Google, wants to be just that – so he’s secretly spent US$100m on building flying cars.

Bloomberg news service reports that Page backed 2010 flying car start-up Zee.Aero in secret – but cited unnamed sources “having intimate knowledge” of the flying car start-up.

He was referred to by the name GUS – or Guy UpStairs – by Zee employees, as he had a private hideaway on the second floor of their building.

On its website Zee.Aero described itself as “working at the intersection of aerodynamics, advanced manufacturing, and electric propulsion” in a bid to develop a “revolutionary form of transportation.”

It has close to 150 employees and expanded to an airport hanger in Mountain View, California.

Bloomberg also reported that Page is now backing a second flying car startup, Kitty Hawk, that began operating last year not far from Zee.Aero and is taking a different design approach.

“Page is pursuing a flying car dream on his own, not as part of Alphabet’s investments in “moonshots” such as self-driving cars,” Bloomberg says.

Google announced plans last month to open a Detroit-area technology centre for its self-driving car program.

The tech giant began testing its autonomous driving technology in 2009 using a Toyota Prius equipped with Google’s gadgetry.

Until it signed a deal with Fiat Chrysler recently for 100 minivans, it had 70-odd autonomous vehicles on its robe-fleet.