Uber held its second annual “flying taxi” conference in
Los Angeles this week, so we have a bunch of cool new concept images of
weird, drone-helicopter hybrids that you could use to fly across town
sometime in the next decade. Or not! Who knows if this thing will get
off the ground? But if it does, it will be because of these five
companies.
Embraer and Pipistrel Aircraft, two aircraft
manufacturers that are working with Uber, released new concept images of
aircraft they plan on building for the ride-hailing company’s ambitious
project. And California-based Karem, which is the latest aircraft
manufacturer to partner with Uber, had a new vehicle to show off as
well.
Electric flight is still in the very early stages of
development, and it’s not clear whether the technology, regulatory, and
infrastructure hurdles can be overcome in time to meet Uber’s schedule.
That said, Uber has assembled an impressive lineup of aircraft equipment
manufacturers to help realize its vision of urban air mobility.
In addition to Karem, Embraer, and Pipistrel, Uber is
partnering with Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences and Bell
(formerly Bell Helicopters) to develop aircraft for the flying taxi
project. (A previous partner Mooney is no longer working with Uber.)
Uber has said it is looking for partners that can meet
its technology specifications — electric-powered, minimal noise, and
vertical take-off and landing capabilities — as well as a company that
can scale production to build tens of thousands of vehicles to meet the
demand of Uber’s on-demand service.
Karem is smaller aircraft manufacturer, but it’s still an
interesting choice for Uber. Abe Karem, founder and chairman of the
company, is a pioneer in drone technology. He’s been called “the dronefather” and “the man who invented the Predator” drone (although he makes clear it wasn’t his idea to put missiles on it).
Uber released images of its own concept aircraft earlier today and had a tiny model version
on display at the conference. But it's important to note that Uber does
not plan on manufacturing any of the vehicles used for its aerial taxi
service. Instead, it will lean on its manufacturing partners to design
and build these electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft,
as well as scale production to meet the demands of the proposed urban
air mobility service.
Embraer
Brazilian aircraft builder Embraer is over 48 years old,
making it one of the more experienced manufacturers to join Uber’s
project. The company has around 19,000 employees worldwide, an annual
revenue of $5.8 billion, and produces commercial, military, and
agricultural aircraft. Urban air taxis, though, and electric ones to
boot, would be a new venture for the company.
“This is a great concept but is a big challenge, no question about that,” said Embraer CEO Paulo Cesar Silva.
Aurora Flight Sciences
Aurora Flight Sciences, which specializes in autonomous aviation systems, was purchased by Boeing
last year. The company has flown over 30 unpiloted flights since its
founding in 1989, including a military helicopter that can be piloted using just a tablet.
During the Uber conference, Aurora CEO John Langford
lamented the fact that there have been five decades of aviation
technology development that haven’t moved the needle for on-demand
transportation or reversed the downward trend in pilot jobs. He said
autonomy was the key to turning those numbers around.
Karem
Karem’s “Butterfly” concept is a quad tiltrotor with four
large propellers mounted on the wings and tail. The vehicle has larger
propellors than some of the other eVTOL prototypes, which helps create a
lower demand on the vehicle’s battery, explained Ben Tigner, CEO of
Karem Aircraft. The slow-turning rotors also produce less noise than
normal, which could be a crucial factor in winning over NIMBY-minded
urban residents.
Karem is working toward building a full-scale demonstrator of its Butterfly concept.
Bell
Bell Helicopter rebranded as just “Bell” last February,
as it seeks to reimagine its identity as a vertical flight company.
Nonetheless, the bulk of the companies revenues are in commercial and
military helicopters and tilt-rotor aircraft.
Bell first showed off
its air taxi cabin concept at CES this year. At Elevate, conference
attendees lined up to try out Bell’s VR experience inside the vehicle
prototype. The air taxi concept is similar in many ways to another
aircraft revealed last year: the FCX-001. Looking like a helicopter from Metal Gear Solid, the concept vehicle was meant to serve as a platform for some of Bell’s ideas about the future of vertical flight.
Pipistrel Aircraft
Pipistrel Aircraft, based in Slovenia, also used the
occasion of the Uber event to rebrand itself as “Pipistrel Vertical
Solutions.” The company already produces tiny, electric-powered aircraft
that can be purchased today.
Its latest concept looks straight out of Star Wars
and lacks many of the features — tiltrotors, visible propellors — that
the other prototypes have. Pipistrel director of R&D Tine Tomazic
said the aircraft will be able to go longer distances at higher speeds
than previous models. And it will be part of a “family of eVTOL” that
includes three other concept aircraft, Tomazic added.
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