Japan Seems To Be Winning The 'race' To Create Flying Cars

SkyDrive (Source: SkyDrive Inc)

JAKARTA - Flying car prototypes in recent years are often seen. However, until now the realization has not yet appeared. Japanese flying car company SkyDrive Inc stands at the front. Their test was successful.

In the video circulating, a vehicle with an open hood plus a propeller is seen lifting the device to a height of about two meters from the ground and hovering over the netted area for four minutes. One driver is seen inside.

SkyDrive leader Tomohiro Fukuzawa said he hopes "flying cars" can be made into real-life products by 2023. But he acknowledged that making them safer to use, because it's important.

"More than 100 flying car projects in the world, only a handful are successful with one person in it. I hope many people want to drive and feel safe," said Fukuzawa, reported by Gadgets 360, Saturday, August 29.

So far, the vehicle has only been able to fly for five to 10 minutes, but if it could be 30 minutes, that would have more potential. Moreover, Fukuzawa wants to export these vehicles to places like China and other countries.

Unlike airplanes and helicopters, or eVTOLs, these vehicles offer fast and safe private point-to-point travel that can be operated automatically. Such as taking passengers to the airport, also avoiding traffic jams.

Fukuzawa said, to launch this vehicle, it requires maturity from the battery size sector, air traffic control, and other infrastructure problems. It is a challenge to commercialize it.

For information, the SkyDrive project started as a volunteer project called Cartivator in 2012, with funding from leading Japanese companies, such as automaker Toyota Motor Corp., electronics company Panasonic Corp. and video game developer Bandai Namco. This was quoted from the NDTV Gadget, Saturday, August 29.