Airbus engineers have designed a flying taxi that would that would leave the problem of ground-level road congestion far behind.
The company’s A3 division has published a concept video of a single-seater, eight-rotor aircraft called Vahana.
It is all-electric and self-flying thanks to cameras, radar and LiDAR sensors, designed to manoeuvre around birds, aeroplanes and other drones.
The Vahana prototype, which takes off vertically, will have a range of 50 kilometres (31 miles) by the end of 2017.
But the final version, which is set to hit the market in 2020, will be able to fly for 100 kilometres (62 miles). Airbus will use swappable batteries to keep its aircraft operational.
There is a parachute for emergency situations.
Customers will use an app to summon a Vahana aircraft at a nearby helipad. While a passenger takes a road taxi to the landing site, the aircraft will automatically conduct a pre-flight test to ensure it’s ready for take-off as soon as the user arrives.
Zach Lovering, the project leader at Airbus, told Business Insider passengers should expect to pay $1.50 to $2.50 per mile – the low cost is possible because the craft does not need the same maintenance as ground cabs.
Earlier this year, Airbus revealed a flying car at the 87th Geneva International Motor Show that also aims to relieve congestion.
The Italdesign Pop.Up envisages a vehicle that makes full use of both ground and airspace.
The system consists of an Artificial Intelligence platform that manages travel to make it as seamless as possible and a passenger capsule designed to be coupled with a ground module and air module.