The human species hasn’t really been around very long in the whole scheme of things, and as far as the universe is concerned, we might as well not even exist. That doesn’t change the fact that we are continuing to grow as a species, and as such, our planet is becoming more populated. As our population continues to grow, our cities are becoming more and more crowded. In fact, it is predicted that by 2030, 60 percent of the world’s population will live in cities. With congestion already becoming a problem in metropolitan areas, it’s about time we reinvent the concept of public transit, and Airbus thinks it might have the answer with automated flying taxis.
Apparently, there are a couple of different things going on here. First, Airbus’ Silicon Valley facility is reportedly working on something called Project Vahana that is said to be a single-passenger vehicle. This would be similar to your everyday taxi. Sources indicate that a prototype has already been agreed on and could make its first flight before 2018. The other project is being undertaken by Airbus Helicopters and is known at this time as the CityAirbus. This vehicle would be able to transport a number of people to various locations quickly and efficiently. At first, it will have to be piloted by a human, but could eventually become autonomous in the future.
The best part about both of these vehicles is that they will be all electric and emission free. They will be quiet and should make commuting during busy times a breeze. Jorg Muller, a member of Airbus Group’s corporate development department said, “The market will develop quickly, once we are able to deploy the first vehicles in megacities and [to] demonstrate the benefits of quiet, emission-free air transport at competitive prices.”
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