Boeing’s flying car has completed its first test flight

MOTORING NEWS - A Boeing flying car designed to whisk passengers over congested city streets and dodge skyscrapers completed its first test flight recently, offering a peek into the future of urban transportation the aerospace giant and others are seeking to shape.

A prototype of its autonomous passenger air vehicle completed a controlled take-off, hover and landing during the test conducted in Virginia, said the maker of military and commercial jets in a recent statement.

Propelled by electricity, the model is designed for fully autonomous flight, with a range of as much as 70km.

The Chicago-based plane maker and its arch rival Airbus are among a number of companies racing to stake a claim on flying cars and parcel-hauling drones. This innovation has the potential to be the next disruption to sweep the aerospace industry. Boeing's push was boosted by a 2017 acquisition of Aurora Flight Sciences, whose projects include a new flying taxi it is developing with Uber Technologies.

Others are also developing rotorcraft concepts to market in a race against time. Vahana, the self-piloting air taxi developed by A3, Airbus's technological Silicon Valley division, completed its first test flight last year. Intel Corp and EHang Incorporated are also testing flying vehicles.

Morgan Stanley analysts predict that such technology could lead to a R41-trillion industry by 2040, while their more conservative estimate for the industry's potential is R8,6-billion.

Boeing's urban air mobility arm, Boeing NeXt, enlisted Aurora to design and develop the prototype.

Uber said in a separate release that the vehicle is on track to be an air taxi for the planned Uber Air network. Dallas-Fort Worth and Los Angeles will be the first US cities in the aerial ride-sharing network and commercial services may start by 2023, it said.

Boeing NeXt's portfolio also includes a fully electric cargo air vehicle designed to transport as much as 220kg. This completed its first indoor flight last year and is slated for outdoor testing this year. Boeing will also continue testing to advance safety and reliability of the aircraft, it said.

The Terrafugia Transition has been the first flying car ready for production and is expected to go into production this year. It has been planning to end the long wait for flying cars.