Air taxi reveal

Uber and Hyundai are partnering to develop Uber Air Taxis.

Hyundai’s UAM (Urban Air Mobility) will enable on-demand services in Uber’s Elevate Network.

A full-scale aircraft concept for the aerial ride share network has been unveiled at the CES 2020 show in Las Vegas, which runs from January 7-10.

Hyundai is the first automotive company to join the Uber Elevate initiative, bringing automotive-scale manufacturing capability and a track record of mass-producing electric vehicles.

it will produce and deploy the air vehicles, and Uber will provide airspace support services, connections to ground transportation, and customer interfaces through an aerial ride share network.

Both parties are collaborating on infrastructure concepts to support take-off and landing for this new class of vehicles.

“Our vision of Urban Air Mobility will transform the concept of urban transportation,” Hyundai UAM division head and executive vice president Jaiwon Shin says.

“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.”

Uber Elevate head Eric Allison says 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.

“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 worked with Uber Elevate to develop a Personal Air Vehicle (PAV) model, S-A1, that utilises innovative design processes to optimise electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for aerial ridesharing purposes.

The Elevate initiative based this process on NASA’s historical approach of putting design concepts out publicly to inspire innovation amongst multiple companies, spurring the development of common research models to investigate novel aerodynamic concepts and catalysing industry progress in wing design, noise, aerodynamics, and simulation verification.

The S-A1 is designed for a cruising speed up to 290km/h, a cruising altitude of around 300m-600m and to fly up to 100km.

The Hyundai vehicle will be 100% electric, utilising distributed electric propulsion to power multiple rotors and propellors, and during peak hours will require about five to seven minutes’ recharging.

The model is designed to take off vertically, transition to wing-borne lift in cruise, and then transition back to vertical flight to land.

The Hyundai vehicle will be piloted initially but will eventually become autonomous.

The cabin has four passenger seats with enough space for a personal bag or backpack.

When many Purpose Built Vehicles (PBVs) and PAVs are docked and connected to a Hub, they make a new public space where diverse groups of people can gather, Hyundai says.