Uber Flying Taxi Design Revealed - Commercial Launch Expected By 2023

Uber, the cab-hailing service was working on its aerial taxis for quite a long time now. To achieve this, the company also joined hands with helicopter manufacturing company Bell. Now in the latest development, the partner company Bell Helicopter had unveiled the design of the flying car in Las Vegas. This clearly shows that Uber is a one step closer to its aerial taxi project.

The company showcased the first scale model of the hybrid-electric air-car Nexus at 2019 Consumer Electronics Show, back in January. Uber is planning to start the testing of the flying car design by 2020, and by 2023 it will launch it for commercial services. Uber has partnered with aircraft manufacturing companies to come up with electric vertical take-off and landing (eVOLT) aircraft.

Bell Helicopter was the first company to display the full-scale model of the flying car. At Uber's annual Elevate Summit 2018, several companies have showcased their concept models like Embraer's DreamMaker, Karem's Butterfly, and a bat-wing design from Pipistrel.

Uber Air is part of the Uber Elevate program that focuses on reducing the ownership of the car and create new ways to travel in urban areas. Something like Uber pool ride-sharing and Uber Jump electric bikes, this mode of transport makes daily transportation less expensive than owning a car.

The company will kick off the flying taxi services in three locations - Dallas, Los Angeles, and the third one is yet to be revealed by the company.

"In Los Angeles and Sydney, residents spend seven whole working weeks each year commuting, two of which are wasted unproductively stuck in gridlock. In many global megacities, the problem is more severe: the average commute in Mumbai exceeds a staggering 90 minutes," reads Uber's 2016 report.

We will have to wait and see how and when Uber will launch the flying-taxis and what will be the cost of travelling.