Ever watched a cartoon and wondered, what if this could have been a reality? Just like in Jetsons cartoon, the flying cars! Or flying vehicles in StarWars!
The wait is no more! Introducing SkyDrive, that has launched the first manned flying car prototype successfully.
Whenever we think about future cities, the first thing that hits our mind is, What if there are flying cars? We completely understand this thinking. The main reason for it being the heavy and long time-consuming traffic. We often think, if we had a flying car, we would have had an uninterrupted journey to our destination. This problem is hoped to be solved gradually as the first prototype launch was successful.
SkyDrive SD-03 eVTOL (electric Vertical TakeOff and Landing):
SkyDrive is a startup from Japan backed by Toyota came up with a prototype for flying cars named SD-03 eVTOL Flying Car. This company has already successfully developed and tested its unmanned flying vehicle in December 2018 to conduct multiple technical verifications. After this, successful unmanned vehicle test, they went ahead to develop a prototype of a manned vehicle and they made their successful maiden manned flight.
This is just a prototype that runs on electricity. The main attraction of this vehicle is its vertical take-off and landing feature. Hence the name eVTOL.
On the test day, the manned vehicle prototype was lifted six feet above the ground and covered the test field area for around four minutes. This was a successful test that took the firm one step closer to developing a full-fledged product of this prototype. This could prove to be a boon in the aviation industry. You can watch the video of the test-drive of the vehicle below:
Features:
SD-03 eVTOL Flying Car is a compact electric flying vehicle that is 13 feet in length and width, and around 6.5 feet tall. That means it will occupy space as much as two parked cars.
The company has embodied this model with eight rotors at four different locations that run on electric motors. These rotors help the vehicle to take-off. These eight electric motors ensure the safety of the person in case of emergency (eg: engine failure). Since this was a prototype, the duration of the flight and the speed were relatively low, the company is aiming to increase its flight time along with its speed.
Throughout my career spanning four decades, I have gained considerable experience and knowledge in type certification, safety verification, project management, and system integration.
I will help SkyDrive develop the flying car and bring it to the market. Together we will revolutionize the concept of air transport – benefitting both businesses and the lives of consumers.I would like to help take the industry forward by introducing a lean development process, while ensuring the same degree of safety as conventional aircraft, implementing advanced components, and employing innovative mass production processes learned from various industrial sectors.
Nobuo Kishi, Chief Technology Officer, SkyDrive
Conclusion:
SkyDrive is planning to launch its first commercial model of eVTOL in the Japnese market by 2023 (according to their site).
This technology from SkyDrive could be a revolution in the aviation world. Since Japan is home to many new technologies, hoping this technology could give boost the lifestyle of people by remodeling their modes of transport.
Moreover, the vehicle runs on electric energy and not traditional fossil fuel like petrol or diesel, this could also prove to be a step towards saving our environment by decreasing the carbon emissions. How many boons will it prove to be in our lifestyle after its commercial launch? Only time will tell.
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