Audi and Airbus get go-ahead to develop and test flying taxis in Germany…
Audi and Airbus have been given the green light by the German Government to develop and begin testing flying vehicles around the Audi HQ in Ingolstadt.
FLYING CARS. As car makers face deadlines around the world for the end of petrol and diesel cars…the UK will ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 and Ireland is looking to follow suit. To that end, car makers are pushing fast into electric and fuel cell development, and now flying cars.
Flying cars aren’t a new thing and many auto makers have invested, quietly, in start-up businesses attempting to develop flying cars. Now Audi and Airbus and the German Government have signed a letter of intent to launch the Urban Air Mobility project. The goal of the joint EU project is to be a model for air-taxi test operation in the Ingolstadt region; it will then roll out to Hamburg in Germany and Geneva in Switzerland.
“Connected, electric and autonomous cars will make urban traffic more comfortable and cleaner and will save space – that means better quality of life for people in cities. This is where mobility in the third dimension can make a valuable contribution in the future,” said Bram Schot, interim CEO and Member of the Board of Management for Sales and Marketing at AUDI AG. “We welcome the involvement of the city of Ingolstadt and support the development of the region as a test field for air taxis,” said Schot. At the Geneva Motor Show in March, Audi, the Audi subsidiary Italdesign and Airbus presented Pop.Up Next (pictured), an all-electric, fully automated concept for horizontal and vertical mobility.
“We would like to use our know-how to improve urban life, and aim to develop new mobility concepts for cities and people’s various needs with the Urban Air Mobility project,” said Schot.