The project is one of many seeking to invent a new personal transportation method, more accessible than helicopters, and suffering from no traffic. At the same time, it is one of the few personal transportation concepts which could make it the market place.
Japanese company SkyDrive has released a video of the first successful trial of its “flying car” prototype, which resembles a single seat motorcycle fitted with eight propellers on four vestigial wings. The footage shows the futuristic “car” carrying a pilot several metres above the ground, hovering and moving in different directions for around four minutes.
The SkyDrive is a far cry from fictional flying cars shown in the iconic “Back to Future 2” movie, as it can only remain airborne between 5 and 10 minutes, but it is still among the few truly functional EVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) prototypes. The company currently sees the craft as personal short-range transport.
Its developers indicate that the flight time of the vehicle can be increased to 30 minutes, which would make the product viable for the market. There are other issues that must be addressed, however, such as battery size, air traffic control and the necessity for infrastructure. SkyDrive hopes to resolve those issues and make the “car” market-ready by 2023.
The successful trial of their flying car comes after a fiasco in 2017, when their first prototype vehicle failed to function properly. Since then the company attracted some $37 million in funding, with prime investors Toyota, Panasonic and video game company Bandai Namco, along with the Bank of Japan.