Are Flying Commuter Cars In Our Near Future?

Are Flying Commuter Cars In Our Near Future?

The idea of personal flight isn’t as far in the future as you might think! Vertical takeoff and landing are “coming soon” with Electric Air Taxi startup Joby Aviation.  

Imagine this: You pull up your favorite rideshare app, and within a few taps, you’ve scheduled your ride to work. While there’s nothing unusual so far, at some point shortly, there’s a possibility that your ride path could be more vertical than horizontal as personal flight vehicles seem to be getting closer than ever before. This elevated perspective on mobility appeals to many individuals who spend hours each day slogging through heavy traffic or driving long distances to and from work or meetings. Having access to affordable and convenient personal flight has the potential to make a dramatic difference in our lives by reducing gridlock, emissions . . . and commuting times.

Uber + Joby Aviation = Rideshare Air Taxis

The idea of actual air taxis is one that gets a lot of people excited, but there are still quite a few hurdles before this concept can become a reality. Joby Aviation has some serious partners to help them along the path to success, including Uber and Toyota. While not quite a “flying car,” these electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles are certainly a massive step in the right direction. Since these are technically airplanes, the FAA will require flight training and certification before allowing individuals to pilot either themselves or others. While you’ll have a qualified pilot behind the wheel, these rideshare air taxis will be able to take off and land by themselves with the help of advanced AI and other technologies.

Toyota’s $600 Million Secret

If you are surprised to learn that we are this close to a working model for rideshare or personal air transportation, you are not alone. Joby Aviation and other competing services have been quietly ramping up their production over the past ten years. Now that Toyota has jumped in with nearly $400 million in funding during a $590 million Series C round of financing for Joby, it becomes much more challenging to keep the lid on these advances. Toyota is counting on its manufacturing prowess and experience with electric transportation to help overcome any final obstacles and refine the plan for Joby’s electric mini-plane. This piloted aircraft can fly up to 150 miles on a single charge and scoots along at up to 200 miles per hour. Joby Aviation says their plane effectively has zero emissions and is “100 times quieter than conventional aircraft during takeoff and landing, and near-silent when flying overhead.”

While you can’t flag down an aircraft to take you back and forth to work (yet!), it’s clear that this technology is getting closer every day. Leveraging next-generation technology to drive your business forward starts with having the right partners. Just as Joby knew they needed Toyota’s manufacturing expertise in the electric vehicle realm, you can reach out to the professionals at Alvarez Technology Group at (831) 753-7677 for a free consultation to help improve your information technology services and infrastructure.