Flying cars may seem like a distant scientific dream, but Japan is funding projects to commercialize transportation by 2023.
Tokyo-based company SkyDrive Inc. is working on developing electric flying machines that can be lifted and lowered smoothly, and the company's CEO, Tomohiro Fukuzawa, believes that by 2050 people (in bulk) will be able to fly in any circle within 10 minutes .
This may sound ambitious, but it follows the growing momentum around technology as well as the support of the Japanese government.
Analysts at Morgan Stanley see great potential in flying car technology and they predict that the flying car sector could be worth $ 1.5 trillion by 2040.
"These cars can later be turned into a cost-effective, more efficient way to travel short distances on average," said leading Stanley analysts.
Companies like SkyDrive are at the forefront of this growing market, with plans to establish a taxi service in Osaka and Tokyo in the next three years.
The company has developed a flying electric concept called the SD-XX, 1.5 meters long and 4 meters by 3.5 meters wide. This vehicle would be able to reach speeds of 62 miles per hour and travel about 70 kilometers.
The Japanese government is supporting these inventions, as it sees flying cars as an ideal way to reduce congestion and allow people to travel quickly within a city by 2023.
SkyDrive CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa spoke to the Japan Times about the challenges the company faces:
"The two biggest challenges are getting certification for commercial flights and ensuring the same security and reliability as existing aircraft - and changing the social climate, informing the general public about this air movement and making them want to ride a flying machine. ”
However, he remains positive about the future.
Source: Unilad
