Japan is committed to the future of the flying car
Japan has announced it is inviting 21 companies working on the future of urban air transport, among them Airbus, Boeing, Geely and Uber, companies I have discussed on this page, and will provide all they need to put their ideas into practice, including the development of a conducive legal and regulatory environment.
The idea of the flying car, understood as a simple-to-use vehicle rather than an aircraft or helicopter, highly autonomous and with prices comparable to ground transportation, has long interested a range of companies and entrepreneurs, which have produced several prototypes, but which have not been put into production, mainly due to security and regulatory issues.
Obviously, Japan isn’t interested in causing air disasters, but instead wants to rethink the regulatory scenario to match what current technology can do, redefining security standards and thus becoming the preferred operating scenario players in the flying car sector. Uber has announced an initiative in Paris for its Uber Elevate, intending to spend $20 million over the next five years, last year, Geely bought Terrafugia, while Boeing acquired Aurora Flight Sciences the same year, Airbus has unveiled a number of concepts, and there are also a number of similar and advanced projects out there.
When I discuss the issues related to adoption of aerial vehicles in my innovation classes few students see technology as a limitation, and most see creating a regulatory framework as the biggest obstacle. Which makes Japan’s decision to offer itself as a testing ground all the more interesting. Japan is a global automobile manufacturing leader, but the vehicle industry there has not positioned itself well vis a vis the two main trends of the industry at this time, autonomous vehicles and electrification. Trying to become a leader in a technology that in many people’s minds is the preserve of science fiction and will never happen in their lifetime is risky, but shows a commitment few companies interested in the subject will ignore.
What could this mean for the future of transport? Are we ready for Uber’s vision of moving around a city in a flying vehicle at prices comparable to those traveling below on the roads? Nobody knows when such as scenario might be reality. One thing is for sure, all eyes will be on Japan and whether the law there can keep up with technology.
(En español, aquí)
