SkyDrive Inc.'s prototype flying car from Japan takes first flight

SkyDrive Inc., a Tokyo-based start-up company, revealed its prototype "flying car" on its first manned flight.

SkyDrive Inc.'s prototype flying car first flight

Is it a bird? A plane? No, it's a car!

It floated for three minutes and traveled for 150 meters

It is a one-seat model with a design that combines a small chopper and a very big drone. Dimensions are 4 meters in length, 4 meters in width. and 2 meters tall.

It has eight propellers that allowed it to float for three minutes and cover 150 meters with speeds of up to 4 kilometers per hour. The test was done in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture on Tuesday.

The company is aiming for the flying car to hit commercial use in fiscal 2023. The prototype has been tested thoroughly since December 2019 to look for areas of improvement and improve development.

SkyDrive also announced its acquisition of JPY 3.9 billion from 10 companies in Japan including the Development Bank of Japan, NEC Corp., and Itochu Corp. last Friday. The money will be utilized to further improve the flying car so that it could soon be utilized as a taxi business in Osaka's bay area by 2023.

According to Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC., growth to USD 1.5 trillion (JPY 160 trillion) is expected for the flying car market by around 2040.

Toyota also invested more than JPY 40 billion last January in an American company to help develop a flying car fuselage.

Via: Inquirer