Uber has announced the hiring of Mark Moore, a NASA engineer to develop their flying car idea. The project is called Uber Elevate and they predict it will be flying by 2026 although Mark Moore suggests that it may be even sooner. Uber may not be planning to build the aircraft themselves though but instead to spearhead the development of the idea of an airborne taxi network.
Moore has worked at NASA for 30 years and now takes on his new title of Director of Engineering for Aviation at Uber.
Watch Uber Elevate Explained
“I can’t think of another company in a stronger position to be the leader for this new ecosystem and make the urban electric VTOL market real,” Moore says. The Uber ‘flying car’ is expected to be more like a tilt rotor helicopter that is much quieter than a traditional helicopter with speeds up to 150 mph and a range of 100 miles on a single charge.
Nikhil Goel, Uber’s head of product for advanced programs, says the company wants to organize the industry to help spur development of flying cars. “Uber continues to see its role as an accelerant-catalyst to the entire ecosystem, and we are excited to have Mark joining us to work with manufacturers and stakeholders as we continue to explore the use case described in our whitepaper,” Goel wrote in an e-mailed statement. – Bloomberg
The vision of Uber Elevate is revolutionary to say the least. Do you think it will really happen? Comment below or on the Fighter Sweep Facebook page. We love hearing your thoughts!
Photo by Uber
Recently Airbus announced their plans for a pilotless air taxi named Project Vahana that they expect to demonstrate by the end of 2017.
Featured image of Uber Elevate flying care by Uber