Traffic Jams driving you crazy? Don’t worry, Toyota will soon get you covered.
The Japanese giant automaker is working to take cars from the ground and hang them onto the sky.
Toyota’s flying car project is essentially taking flight for real. Well at least, trials have started in Japan.
The Road Less Travelled? The initiative is reported to be marking what is being described to be a historic milestone in urban mobility.
Never mind that the winged cars may never find their way to Tanzania, or East Africa for the next three decades or so and even then, the typical horrid African bureaucracy will keep them off the reach of most people.
Toyota is executing the eVTOL vehicle project. eVTOL is a term which stands for Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing vehicle, developed in partnership with Joby Aviation from the United States.
Now, Toyota and Joby Aviation successfully completed its maiden eVTOL test flight at Toyota’s Higashi-Fuji Technical Center in Japan.
This breakthrough comes after nearly 80 years of aerial mobility research by Toyota, dating back to a 1943 helicopter prototype.
The flying cars don’t exactly look interesting. In fact, on closer inspection, the prototype resembles a a miniature Cessna fixed with drone blades.
The current model boasts a 5-person capacity, 6-meter length, and 12-meter width, with an impressively quiet 45-decibel noise level at 500 meters altitude.
Toyota aims to launch commercial operations as early as 2025, potentially revolutionizing urban transportation.
The flying car could reduce travel time from central Tokyo to Higashi-Fuji from hours to just 25 minutes, offering a glimpse into a future where sky commutes become the norm.
As regulatory hurdles are addressed and public acceptance grows, Toyota’s USD 900 million worth of investments in this technology may soon transform our daily lives, taking personal transportation to new heights – literally.
So, is Toyota’s flying car out to replace the Helicopter or small aircraft? Or could it be a substitute for both?
How about owning a car which can also serve as a helicopter?
The project, according to observers, will not only transform the way people travel but also how future houses will be built.
It seems the entry gates will be located high up on the roof which will also serve as the driveway (Flyway?) as each household is definitely going to own one.