By Vivian Kelly
Ever been stuck in a commuter’s jam and imagined flying to work? Well, the dream may be a reality soon. Uber have promised a global fleet of flying cars within a decade.
The multi-million pound firm is on a mission to give people back lost time on their daily commutes and have just revealed their plans to take over the sky.
In a white paper published on Uber’s website, the company unveils plans to build on-demand electric vehicles that take off and land vertically.
Uber’s new network, dubbed ‘Elevate’, will rely on urban electric aircraft known as VTAL (vertical take off and landing) planes of which are expected to be readily available in the next five years.
Courtesy of Uber
However, the San Francisco-based firm has no intention of producing the flying vehicles themselves. Instead, they are reaching out to industry leaders to collaborate with Uber in creating one of the greatest advances in transportation our generation has seen. With over a dozen companies already in development, VTOL aircraft is already well on its way to becoming a reality.
Uber Elevate is expected to run the same way their cars run on the ground. The company will enlist pilots, give them access to Uber's ten million customer base and, of course, get a piece of the pie in return.
The aircraft will be able to fly 100 miles for up to 150 mph carrying multiple passengers and making various stops.
In the long-term, Uber believes using aircraft as a means of daily transportation will eventually become cheaper than owning a car. Next time there aren’t any taxis available during the daily drag, order an Uber Elevate, a two hour car journey could turn into a quick 15 minutes.
