When taxis fly...
A California-based company is working to make that happen. But the secretive Joby Aviations isn't sharing when its five-seater all-electric passenger plane will move from prototype to viable air taxi. But it's moving to pre-production thanks to a new injection of cash announced Thursday from various investors including JetBlue's and Toyota's new venture arms.
SEE ALSO:Here's what Uber for the skies might feel likeThe $100 million in new funding could mean the electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft could soon be taking commuters to work above the traffic jams and train delays below. But realistically its short-haul flights won't be happening anytime soon.
The company is still working on the product -- the plane claims to have a 150-mile range on a single battery charge and a nearly silent flight experience along with a 100 times quieter take-off and landing -- and needs to get flight certified by the Federal Aviation Administration. So with its new money, Joby will be hiring engineers, battery experts, software developers, and flight control experts.
The race for take-off is on with future VTOL flights coming from Uber who is working with several companies including, Aurora Flight Sciences, Pipistrel Aircraft, Embraer, Mooney and Bell Helicopter, along with ChargePoint to make it happen by 2020. Making the vertical flights run on battery makes for a cleaner, quieter, and more sustainable ride.
Germany-based Lilium already is test-flying its two-seater electric jet and also has a five-seater VTOL plane prototype like Joby.
Airbus plans to start test rides by the end of the year on self-flying electric taxis and eventually set up a flying taxi service.
"When taxis fly" is looking less pie-in-the-sky. But no one's talking about how much it'll cost to take a flight to work just to avoid rush-hour traffic.
(责任编辑：百科)
Nate Parker is finally thinking about the woman who accused him of rape
Fox News forced to correct video showing 'retired Navy SEAL' veteran
Super Typhoon Lan rapidly intensifies on way to Tokyo
Mike Pence disses U.S. space leadership as astronauts risk livesAirbnb activates disaster response site for Louisiana floodingMom discovers security cameras hacked, kids' bedroom livestreamed
A mother in Houston, Texas woke up one morning to pretty much every parent's worst-case scenario.。 "
...[详细]Here's how much faster the iPhone 8 charges versus the iPhone 7
In a first for iPhones, Apple says the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus can "fast charge" from 0 to 50 percent in
...[详细]How one podcast is looking to history to try stop America from spinning out of control
The United States of America is swinging – culturally, legally, and of course, politically. Fo
...[详细]These shots made with a Nokia 3310 are gorgeous, but only if you don't look too closely
Ah, the oldnew Nokia 3310.It's simple, virtually indestructible, and comes with Snake-- but what we
...[详细]This German startup wants to be your bank (without being a bank)
BERLIN -- “That is f*cking clever,” said Ben Floyd, 33, as we sat in a trendy cafe in Be
...[详细]'Fast and Furious 9' is coming out a whole lot slower than fans expected
Are you ready for Vin Diesel speeding into five-millionth gear for the ninth time? Well hold on to t
...[详细]Look up to see Uranus this week
This week, you can look to the night sky to see the butt of every planetary joke. Make your way to a
...[详细]Meet the woman washing the grime off Uber
Uber has a new CEO, but right now, it's the Boz show. Bozoma Saint John, Uber's new chief brand offi
...[详细]Man stumbles upon his phone background in real life
Life imitates tech. Or, perhaps it's the other way around.Reddit user xbshooterwas traveling near Sa
...[详细]Horror stories from Weinstein's employees reveal a much larger problem in Hollywood
Condemning a monster like Harvey Weinstein is easy. But in the weeks that followed the floodgates of
...[详细]Slack goes down again, prompting anxiety everywhere
'Fast and Furious 9' is coming out a whole lot slower than fans expected