"Sky" cars are just around the corner!
As another solution for smart transportation, "flying cars" are gradually entering reality.
Recently, Japan’s SkyDrive company successfully conducted its first manned flight test. Its code-named SD-03 flying car successfully landed after hovering at an altitude of 10 meters for 4 minutes.
It is understood that among more than 100 flying car projects around the world, SkyDrive is one of the few that has achieved successful test flights. Tomohiro Fukuzawa, the head of the company, said that if safety is ensured, the flying car will be put into production in 2023 and fully commercialized.
The smallest flying car in history
On August 25, SkyDrive conducted its first test flight at the Toyota Proving Ground. The Toyota Proving Ground is one of Japan's largest proving grounds and is where the car company's projects are developed. This is the first public display of a flying car in Japanese history.
In the demonstration video, a test pilot operated the SD-03 flying car to successfully take off from the test base.
From a distance, the flying car looks very futuristic like aircraft commonly seen in science fiction movies. Project design director Takumi Yamamot said that its design was inspired by the word "Progressive" .
This flying car is 2.9 meters long and 1.3 meters wide, occupying only the space of two parked cars. It is currently the smallest electric vertical flying car in the world.
Unlike drones, this car can take off and land vertically without the need for a long runway or landing gear. At the same time, it can also flexibly rotate in the air.
The test flight reached an altitude of 10 meters and lasted about 4 minutes. At present, its endurance can only support 5-10 minutes, and the flight time will be extended to 30 minutes in the next stage.
After testing, this manned flying car can sail in the air at low speed and without restraint, and has stability similar to that of a drone. The research team stated that in the future, they hope that the vehicle’s maximum flight speed can reach 100 kilometers per hour.
At present, this technology has received financial support from many enterprises and governments, and it is planned to be commercialized in 2023. Fukuzawa said that unlike helicopters and electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL), flying cars, at least in principle, provide fast point-to-point personal services. If it can fly successfully, it will not only eliminate the problem of traffic congestion, but also be expected to solve problems such as transportation to remote islands or mountainous areas, or rescue operations in disaster areas.
However, there are still many challenges in this research and development in terms of safety, air traffic control, and battery life.
The commercialization "roadmap" has been launched
SkyDrive started its flying car research and development project in 2012 and received financial support from top Japanese companies from the beginning, including Automaker Toyota Motor Corp, electronics company Panasonic Corp and video game developer Bandai Namco.
Among them, Toyota Chairman Jim Adler said that the SkyDrive flying car is highly networked, automated, multi-mode and widely available, which is in line with our view of the future of transportation.
The emerging electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) industry combines expertise in automotive manufacturing and aerospace. On the one hand, it is likely to produce a large number of relatively small vehicles, and on the other hand there is a lot of avionics involved.
"Battery" is an important indicator of the current state of technological development in the industry. A professional said, “All the changes we are seeing in the eVTOL market are mainly due to the advancement of battery technology.
The early flying cars of SkyDrive Company did not have ideal indicators in these three aspects. .
After several years of technological upgrading, it has been greatly improved. This year, they received a new financing, totaling 3.9 billion yen, including financial support from the Development Bank of Japan.
SkyDrive's piloted aircraft released in 2017
In addition, the Japanese government has also vigorously cooperated with SkyDrive and actively formulated a commercialization "roadmap" for it. Xin Si Dechang, an official at the Ministry of Trade, said that they are very optimistic about the potential of flying vehicles to solve rescue and transportation problems in disaster areas. In addition to SkyDrive, the Japanese government is also working with large companies such as Boeing, Airbus, and Japan Airlines.
In addition, there is far more than just SkeyDrive in the flying car market.
Including Uber, Honeywell, Wisk, Germany's Lilium Aviation, France's Safran, and the Kitty Hawk project supported by Google founder Larry Page are also actively exploring in this field.
For example, British engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce has launched a "flying taxi" program in 2018, and Kitty Hawk has begun to Test flights are offered to those interested in buying the car.
SkyDrive may not be the first company to complete a test flight, but it is the first public company to conduct an unrestricted test flight.
According to relevant research, flying cars may begin to provide regular services in 2023, and their application scenarios are mostly simple transfers between airports and first-tier cities.
It is expected that by 2035, the industry will be integrated on a large scale and completely connected with traditional transportation methods through pre-established hubs.
Kitty Hawk CEO said that the emergence of flying cars in the future is inevitable. Just as it takes time for airplanes, cell phones, and self-driving cars to win user acceptance, the same will be true for flying cars, but it may be relatively short.
Reference link: Lei Feng Net Lei Feng Net Lei Feng Net
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