Thursday, December 5, 2019

"Footage reveals hydrogen-powered 120mph 'drone' that’s a cross between an aircraft and SUV that its creators say will form a 'fleet' of flying taxis, cargo carriers and ambulances"

From our introduction to 2016's "Uber to Challenge Airbus in the Autonomous Electric Flying Taxi Business":
As the only analysts covering the nascent as-yet-theoretical autonomous electric flying taxi market we intend to be the the go-to source for all things autonomous electric flying taxi and/or theoretical...
From the Daily Mail, May 30, 2019:
  • Vehicle is made by Alaka'i Technologies and has a range of 400 miles with capacity to carry 1,000 pounds 
  • It has six rotors on the roof which resembles an over-sized drone and has enough seats for five people 
  • Makers of the oversized-drone say it will take up to ten years for a fleet of taxis to be operational
  • It is powered by hydrogen fuel cells which produces electricity and only makes pure water as a by-product
Hydrogen powered vehicles may be the future of sustainable mass transit and a US-based firm has built a full-scale version of what a flying taxi may look like. 
It has six rotors on the roof which resembles an over-sized drone and has enough seats for five people.

The passenger-carrying model of the Skai (pronounced 'sky') was unveiled this week near Los Angeles but the vehicles could be used as cargo carriers and ambulances of the sky as well as taxis, its manufacturers claim. 

Like a drone, the vehicle from Alaka'i Technologies takes off and lands vertically and has a range of 400 miles (644 kilometres), the capacity to carry 1,000 pounds (454 kilograms) and could travel at up to 120mph (193km/h).

Scroll down for video 
The passenger-carrying model of the Skai (pictured) (pronounced 'sky') was unveiled this week near Los Angeles and the vehicles could be used as cargo carriers and ambulances of the sky as well as taxis, its manufacturers claim
The passenger-carrying model of the Skai (pictured) (pronounced 'sky') was unveiled this week near Los Angeles
 and the vehicles could be used as cargo carriers and ambulances of the sky as well as taxis, its manufacturers claim

....MORE

Well now that Alaka'i is in the game I guess we can suspend coverage on these upstarts:

"NASA is working with Uber on its flying taxi project"

Airbus Tests Its Autonomous Flying Taxi

Rolls-Royce Presents Electric ‘Flying Taxi’ at Farnborough Airshow

"Boeing's self-flying taxi completes its first flight" (BA)

"I see you have a glottal stop in Alaka'i, are you from Hawai'i?"
"No, Massachusetts"

Like the fuel cells though.