The partnership between Hyundai Motors and Uber is the latest addition to Uber Elevate’s growing network. This year, Uber Elevate has laid the plan to start flight demonstrations of the air taxis that would be used Uber’s aerial rideshare network. The air taxis will be commercially available for rides in 2023.
Hyundai made an announcement regarding this partnership at a press conference ahead of CES 2020, an annual tech trade show in Las Vegas. The automaker unveiled a four-seater aircraft concept called SA-1. It was created in part through Uber’s open design process.
The partnership of Hyundai Motor with Uber to produce Air Taxis
The partnership between Hyundai and Uber includes Aurora Flight Sciences. Aurora Flight Sciences is now a subsidiary of Boeing, Bell, Embraer, Joby Aviation, Pipistrel Aircraft, Karem Aircraft, and Jaunt Air Mobility.
Hyundai is going to produce and deploy the air taxis. Uber will provide airspace support services, connections to ground transportation and customer interfaces through an aerial rideshare network. Both the parties are collaborating on infrastructure concepts to support take-off and landing for this new class of vehicles.
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Eric Allison, the head of Uber Elevate said,
“Hyundai is our first vehicle partner with experience of manufacturing passenger cars on a global scale. We believe 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.”
Hyundai’s model of air taxis was revealed at CES and is designed to cruise at speeds up to 180 miles per hour and at an altitude of 1,000 to 2,000 feet above the ground as well as a flying range up to 60 miles. The concept vehicle is going to be all-electric, using distributed electric propulsion, powered by multiple rotors and propellers around the airframe.
Hyundai explains that the design, which uses smaller rotors, will be quieter than large rotor helicopters. The vehicle will require a human driver or pilot. But the company claims it will become autonomous.
Uber has also put a step into real estate partnerships with Hillwood Properties, Related, Macquire, Oak-tree, and Signature.