JAPANESE FLYING CAR 2020: Auto company Sky Drive Inc. has successfully did a manned test drive of its flying car on August 25 at the Toyota Test Field.
In the statement released on August 28, the company announced the car's successful flight manned with a pilot controlling the aircraft. The car called SD-03 took off and circled in for about four minutes around the Toyota Test Field where the company's development base is located. A computer-assisted control system helped ensure the safety of the test flight.
"We are extremely excited to have achieved Japan's first-ever manned flight of a flying car in the two years since we founded SkyDrive," CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa said in a statement adding that the company aims to commercialize the aircraft.
Japan flying car test
The company claims that SD-03 is the world's smallest electric vehicle that takeoffs and lands vertically. It only takes up about two car park space and has eight motors to guarantee safety during emergencies.
The CEO also said they want to offer an alternative mode of transportation. Flying cars are accessible and convenient means of transportation, providing people with "safe, secure, and comfortable new way of life."
Meanwhile, Design Director Takumi Yamamot said that they want the vehicle to be futuristic and desirable for their clients with SkyDrive's advanced technologies.
"In designing an unexplored, new genre of transportation known as the flying car, we chose the keyword "progressive" for inspiration," Yamamot said.
The company statement also confirmed that the success of the manned flight paves the way for future tests beyond the Toyota Test field by the end of 2020. The company also vowed to continuously enhance the vehicle's safety and technology to ensure they meet industry standards before its launch in 2023.
While the price is yet to be announced, Fukuzawa said the company aspires to develop markets across the globe to make "an urban air mobility society" a reality in Japan and worldwide.
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Luxury cars that fly
While Sky Drive launched Japan's first flying car, European car manufacturers have been on the front-run in designing an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) model.
In 2019, the German luxury carmaker Porsche has partnered with Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences in developing a prototype for its own flying car model. Boeing NeXt Vice President and General Manager Steve Nordlund said that the two companies will convey style and innovation as well as precision engineering to "accelerate urban air mobility worldwide."
Another German multinational car manufacturer Daimler, known for its Mercedes brand, has developed Volocopter, which already successfully made its test flight in Europe. Chinese automaker Geely, owner of Sweden's Volvo and a major Daimler shareholder, recently invested $59.5 million on the Volocopter.
Meanwhile, a California-based automaker also envisioned to create a "flying car" that would fit in the garage and drive on roads while deploying its wings for take-off in 2018. Geely also invested on developing Terrafugia Transition, which the company promised to produce in 2019. However, the project is yet to materialize as of this writing.
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Written by CJ Robles
