Beautiful Virgin Islands

Saturday, Feb 22, 2025

Flying cars: Uber and Hyundai to unveil model at Las Vegas show

Flying cars: Uber and Hyundai to unveil model at Las Vegas show

The two companies plan to display a model of the vehicle that can seat four and reach up to 320 kilometres per hour.

Uber Technologies Inc. is working on a flying car with Hyundai Motor Co., the first automaker to buy into Uber's dream for a network of air taxis dotting the skies of major cities.

The two companies outlined their partnership Monday at the CES technology conference and plan to show off a full-scale model of the vehicle this week on the trade show floor in Las Vegas. Hyundai's aerial taxi would be able to take off and land vertically, accommodate four passengers and cruise at up to 200 miles per hour. It would be fully electric with a range of 60 miles.

The concept is similar to those designed by Boeing Co. and a handful of other companies in collaboration with Uber Elevate, the ride-hailing company's aerial division. In addition to sci-fi ventures, the group also oversees Uber helicopter rides, which are available in New York City. Uber has said it will conduct the first public demonstration of a flying car this year and allow customers to book aerial rides by 2023.

In more terrestrial pursuits, Uber said earlier Monday that it'll start selling bus tickets through its app in Las Vegas, making it the second city to sign up for a public transit program the company introduced last year. Customers in the city will see public transit as one of the options in the Uber app, alongside car rides. They can then plan their route and purchase tickets for the same price they would pay using traditional methods. Riders will be able to use the tickets when their phone is offline. Uber expects to introduce the feature to additional cities around the world in the coming months.

Selling bus tickets is the latest deviation from Uber's core ride-hailing business, part of a larger strategy to encourage customers to open the app more frequently. The company sees increased usage as a way to drive people to other services, including delivery of meals or groceries, rentals of electric bicycles or scooters and someday, flying car rides.

The company's transit partnership with Las Vegas is nearly identical to an arrangement it made last year with Denver, the first place where Uber offered public transit ticketing. While there are just two cities that support ticket sales through the app, Uber and its main U.S. competitor, Lyft Inc., both display public transit routes for many more places.

David Reich, Uber's head of transit, acknowledged that the feature may deal a blow to Uber's main business among cost-conscious customers. He said the trade-off is worth it if people learn to use Uber more regularly and trust it to offer comprehensive transportation information. "Sometimes they'll take something other than Uber, and that's OK," Reich said.

Las Vegas will get a new transit option as soon as this year, courtesy of Elon Musk. A startup founded by the billionaire, called Boring Co., broke ground last year on a tunnel beneath the Las Vegas Convention Center, where CES is held. Musk plans to pack riders into vehicles designed by Tesla Inc. zooming through the narrow tunnel. Reich said Uber is open to conversations with Musk but that there's currently no plan in place to sell tickets for Boring Co.'s Loop transit system.

For the flying car project, Uber is working with NASA and a half-dozen manufacturers, including Textron Inc.'s Bell and Joby Aviation. The arrangement with Hyundai stands out because the automotive giant could produce air vehicles at "rates unseen" in the aerospace industry, said Eric Allison, the head of Uber Elevate. High volume would, in theory, decrease the price per trip and make an air taxi network financially viable, he said.

Uber said it'll provide partners with airspace support services, connections to ground transportation and a large base of customers. The companies will collaborate on finding places for the vehicles to take off and land, with Uber likely leveraging existing relationships with real estate companies including Hillwood Properties and Signature Flight Support.

While Uber has held talks with the Federal Aviation Administration, the effort is likely to face heavy scrutiny from the regulator over logistics for takeoff and landing, noise and safety concerns. Hyundai said its vehicle will require a human pilot initially and eventually operate autonomously. Neither Hyundai nor Uber provided a timeline for dispensing with human pilots.

The move represents a pop of innovation for Hyundai, which, like other car manufacturers, has been hit by changing consumer habits that favor access over ownership and a preference for vehicles not powered by gasoline. For Uber, the arrangement expedites ongoing efforts to evolve from a ride-hailing company to a de facto global transportation and logistics provider. It may also offer a welcome distraction from Uber's stock price, which has slipped about 30% since its disappointing initial public offering last year.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Good News: Senate Confirms Kash Patel as FBI Director
Officials from the U.S. and Hungary Engage in Talks on Economic Collaboration and Sanctions Strategy
James Bond Franchise Transitions to Amazon MGM Studios
Technology Giants Ramp Up Lobbying Initiatives Against Strict EU Regulations
Alibaba Exceeds Quarterly Projections Fueled by Growth in Cloud and AI
Tequila Sector Faces Surplus Crisis as Agave Prices Dive Sharply
Residents of Flintshire Mobile Home Park Grapple with Maintenance Issues and Uncertain Future
Ronan Keating Criticizes Irish Justice System Following Fatal Crash Involving His Brother
Gordon Ramsay's Lucky Cat Restaurant Faces Unprecedented Theft
Israeli Family Mourns Loss of Peace Advocate Oded Lifschitz as Body Returned from Gaza
Former UK Defense Chief Calls for Enhanced European Support for Ukraine
Pope Francis Admitted to Hospital in Rome Amid Rising Succession Speculation
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, at the age of 83, Declares His Retirement.
Whistleblower Reveals Whitehall’s Focus on Kabul Animal Airlift Amid Crisis
Politicians Who Deliberately Lie Could Face Removal from Office in Wales
Scottish Labour Faces Challenges Ahead of 2026 Holyrood Elections
Leftwing Activists Less Likely to Work with Political Rivals, Study Finds
Boris Johnson to Host 'An Evening with Boris Johnson' at Edinburgh's Usher Hall
Planned Change in British Citizenship Rules Faces First Legal Challenge
Northumberland Postal Worker Sentenced for Sexual Assaults During Deliveries
British Journalist Missing in Brazil for 11 Days
Tesco Fixes Website Glitch That Disrupted Online Grocery Orders
Amnesty International Critiques UK's Predictive Policing Practices
Burglar Jailed After Falling into Home-Made Trap in Blyth
Sellafield Nuclear Site Exits Special Measures for Physical Security Amid Ongoing Cybersecurity Concerns
Avian Influenza Impact on Seals in Norfolk: Four Deaths Confirmed
First Arrest Under Scotland's Abortion Clinic Buffer Zone Law Amidst International Controversy
Meghan Markle Rebrands Lifestyle Venture as 'As Ever' Ahead of Netflix Series Launch
Inter-Island Ferry Services Between Guernsey and Jersey Set to Expand
Significant Proportion of Cancer Patients in England and Wales Not Receiving Recommended Treatments
Final Consultation Launched for Vyrnwy Frankton Power Line Project
Drug Misuse Deaths in Scotland Rise by 12% in 2023
Failed £100 Million Cocaine Smuggling Operation in the Scottish Highlands
Central Cee Equals MOBO Awards Record; Bashy and Ayra Starr Among Top Honorees
EastEnders: Four Decades of Challenging Social Norms
Jonathan Bailey Channels 'Succession' in Bold Richard II Performance
Northern Ireland's First Astronaut Engages in Rigorous Spacewalk Training
Former Postman Sentenced for Series of Sexual Offences in Northumberland
Record Surge in Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes Across the UK in 2024
Omagh Bombing Inquiry Concludes Commemorative Hearings with Survivor Testimonies
UK Government Introduces 'Ronan's Law' to Combat Online Knife Sales to Minors
Metal Detectorists Unearth 15th-Century Coin Hoard in Scottish Borders
Woman Charged in 1978 Death of Five-Year-Old Girl in South London
Expanding Sinkhole in Godstone, Surrey, Forces Evacuations and Road Closures
Bangor University Announces Plans to Cut 200 Jobs Amid £15 Million Savings Target
British Journalist Charlotte Peet Reported Missing in Brazil
UK Inflation Rises to 3% in January Amid Higher Food Prices and School Fees
Starmer Defends Zelensky Amidst Trump's 'Dictator' Allegation
Zelensky Calls on World Leaders to Back Peace Efforts in Light of Strains with Trump
UK Prime minister, Mr. Keir Starmer, has stated that any peace agreement aimed at ending the conflict in Ukraine "MUST" include a US security guarantee to deter Russian aggression
×