Ride-hailing company Uber and South Korean multinational automotive manufacturer Hyundai unveiled a flying taxi that may eventually transform your ridesharing trips, CNN reports.
At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Uber and Hyundai revealed a model of a four-seat, electric flying vehicle that they said you'll be able to summon for a ride through Uber's app someday.
The first actual prototype will be ready in 2023, according to a Hyundai spokesperson. A human pilot will fly the air taxi until the companies finalize software to autonomously control it, the company said.
Hyundai is the first company to join the Uber Elevate initiative, the company’s aerial ridesharing programme and they bring their expertise in manufacturing to the table.
"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," Eric Allison, head of Uber Elevate, said at CES.
Jaiwon Shin, executive vice president and head of Hyundai's Urban Air Mobility Division and a former NASA administrator said, "Our vision of Urban Air Mobility will transform the concept of urban transportation."
Hyundai and Uber have not yet completed a test flight of the new vehicle.
In the meantime, Uber is offering human-piloted helicopter rides in Manhattan, New York.
