Introduction: Up, Up, and Into Traffic-Free Skies
The aspiration for flying cars has been our go-to fantasy for something like a hundred years. Think of that from The Jetsons all the way to Back to the Future; science fiction has promised a world where the roads are pre-empted, and vehicles zoom above heavy traffic.
For a while fiction, for decades.
But not anymore.
With the advancements in electric propulsion, autonomous navigation and air traffic systems, flying cars and air taxis are no longer fantastical. They are developed by the pilot, tested in some cities and even getting piloted worldwide. And all major players: from startups to aviation giants are bankrolling a future that your Uber will get there by air.
Urban air mobility (UAM) is the future of cities. Literally.
What Are Flying Cars, Really? (Sort of What You Hope)
Just unpack the vocabulary here, beyond “flying car” which brings to mind a million different things — a lot of which are nothing close.
Flying Cars vs Air Taxis
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Flying Cars — usually personal aircraft that flying and driving into a single machine. This notion of an air goner: the vehicle you can drive to the airport, then slip out to fly from a runway or vertical platform.
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Air Taxis — for example are traditionally VTOLs (such as an aircraft to get passengers from here to there without having to dedicate miles-long runways), almost like an aerial version of Uber or Lyft.
Currently, all of the current projects are more in the category of air taxis and not actual drivable cars with wings.
Tech Terms Used in Key for the Tech Enthusiast
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eVTOL: electric vertical takeoff and landing Autonomy — clean, silent flying vehicles
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UAM = Urban Air Mobility (infrastructure for shorter range city flights)
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AAM (Advanced Air Mobility) 🔶 urban and sort-term cargo all under one term
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Autonomous Flight Systems: the AI which drives these things without anyone
Why Now? Shift in Interest Flying CarIn
A decade or so from commercial viability and several concurrent trends are converging to make this happen for air taxis, as well as flying cars.
1. Cell & Electric Propulsion
Strong and Lite enough to bend electr motors. Now, they’re lightweight.
Improvements in lithium-ion and certain solid-state battery tech with eVTOL viable for short hops.
Why? Not only because electric propulsion provides lower energy consumption — less noise than helicopters etc.
2. Auto Oit Controlled by AI
Relevant if the explosion is from autonomous systems neural.
AI-running live data True series aoming.
Despite how hard it is to fly an aircraft through city air space, AI sleeps never, gets no tourist and don’t lose.
These allow for flight planning automation, obstacle avoidance, and even campus-wide crash landings.
3. Cities Getting Congested Because of Traffic
It’s Real — Our Roads are So 拥挤.
Let no lie come so, no matter how you look at it. You can’t escape the reality that in many megacities, your daily commute is a prolonged traffic jam.
Air taxis offer a new way to travel without the frustrating ground-level stuck-in-traffic and shrunk-the-commute-times promise.
4. Investments by Big Tech and Aircraft Giants
Companies such as:
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Joby Aviation
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Archer
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Volocopter (later acquired by Lilium)
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Lilium for ‘unseen lines’
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Airbus
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Boeing
…have already spent billions.
Larry Page, Google co-founder funded Kitty Hawk.
Uber got Uber Elevate (later sold to Joby).
Not much of these are experimental hobbies — they’re bets on future transportation.
Real Projects in the Air
Some of REAL companies that are not thinking — they are making it, testing, and flying:
Joby Aviation (USA)
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Backed by Toyota and JetBlue
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Battery-powered VTOL with 150 miles range and up to 200 mph speeds
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Commercial air taxi service with FAA certification on hold due to plans to launch
Volocopter (Germany)
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Urban area-specific electric multicopter
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Working with airports, cities in Europe and Asia
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Services starting to roll out in Paris for the 2024 Olympics (yes now delayed, but still running)
Archer Aviation (USA)
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United Airlines Partner
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Designed for short hops — airport to city-center hops
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Targeted 2025 for full system service
Lilium Jet (Germany)
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Fast jet-like eVTOLs with ducted fans
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To fly longer distances than a lot of competitors – both urban and regional
EHang
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Autonomous two-seater air taxis in focus
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Test flights with passengers are already completed
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Working to get regulatory approval in China and around the globe
Where the First Air Taxis Will Fly To
A lot of companies are going for niche cities with the optimal fit:
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High Demand (population density, high)
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Open urban planning + innovation hubs
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Good aviation laws
Mobility’s likely first movers:
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Los Angeles
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Dubai
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Paris
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Singapore
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Seoul
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Tokyo
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Miami
Most cities are in the process of creating “vertiports” — distinct landing and takeoff locations, usually on top of parking garages or malls as well.
The Future of Air Taxis: What It’s Like to Fly in an Air-Taxi
For example:
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You summon a flight with an app (like Uber/Lyft)
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Vertiport in a few blocks and you are directed
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Security is on fire — no TSA lines
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The eVTOL shows and you board going up
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You experience the nearly silent highway above traffic at 150 mph
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In a matter of 10 minutes, you are downtown — that should only take about 45 minutes on road
It’s no fantasy. It exists already as a prototype.
What Are the Roadblocks That Will Not Allow Flying Cars to Fly?
Which sounds awesome — flying cars and whatnot — but it’s going to have some real rough turbulence.
Well before we all commuted in a VTOL for work, there are many significant problems that must be fixed.
The Need for an ATM Renovation
The airspace we have been designed for are planes AND helicopters — except tens of eVTOLs hovering between skyscrapers eliciting nonsense.
Standard air traffic control (ATC) systems are unable to support thousands of low-altitude flights in cities.
This is possible with the help of regulators and tech companies coming together to develop UAS Traffic Management (UTM) system:
A digital, AI-driven web that tracks and navigates autonomous aircrafts safely in real time.
NASA, FAA, and Entrepreneurs Like Wing (Google AE for Drone Delivery)
Now NASA, FAA and entrepreneurs like Wing (Google AE for drone delivery) are actively building on these systems.
Regulatory Approval
Flying cars are not yet street legal — or air-legal in most countries (You need an investor visa to own one).
FAA (and other aviation authorities like the US-based FAA or EASA for Europe) have stringent regulations for aircraft certification, particularly those carrying a human passenger.
What Developers of eVTOL Shall Qualify!!
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Flight safety and redundancy systems
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Ride safety & The environment
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Flight safety and passenger/cargo pilot protocols
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Regulations on Autonomous software (when all pilots are not human)
Some advancement is on the way: Lil, Joby, and Archer have all gotten into the in-depth phases of certification by FAA/EASA. However, approvals take years to get spot on.
Infrastructure Gaps: Where Do These Things Land?
Cities will need real networks: vertiports, charge points, maintenance depots, plus connectivity with transport.
Imagine:
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Rooftop platform atop your neighborhood mall!!
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Tesla Supercharger-style charging stations
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Mini Terminals with Fastboarding & Short Connection times
Right now companies like Skyports, Urban-Air Port are designing these concepts, but construction of full infrastructure on this scale takes time and money — and government buy-in.
Public Trust and Safety
What if a self-soar drone takes you 1,000 feet up into the air?
It’s the big question.
Making the public believe they are flying into a flying taxi — particularly without a pilot — will be one hell of a sell.
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Absolutely spotless Safety
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Open Test Data
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These must be inside emergency procedures
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Public awareness and education
Electric scooters would later have to fight it out in the city.
Getting flying vehicles through much bigger psychological and legislative barriers.
As seems to be rising.
Noise Pollution (or Lack Thereof)
Helicopters are loud.
The most important advantage for eVTOLs comes from the fact of being silent in flight — essential for use in cities.
The trophy model of all current prototypes is below the threshold of perceptibility, significantly quieter than a motorcycle or a bus.
A win for public acceptance and future city noise ordinances.
How Much Will it Cost? Is It Only for the Rich?
There goes flying taxis at first: similar to any other new technology.
But those costs are going to plummet as quickly as electric cars, or even smartphones and solar panels for that matter.
Pricing Models (First Wave) of Estimated Pricing
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High-end LUX Uber on average $6–11 per mile
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Likewise, the short inner-city “hops” (e.g., airport to downtown) could cost $70–150+
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With extrapolation to long term it will be $2–3 per mile and affordable for the average commuter
First services will perhaps be for business travellers or upper-class city dwellers,
but many others — especially in Asia — expected to bring air mobility much more democratized within a decade.
Scratchings from a Worrier’s Notebook: Air Quality as It Seems to You in London
Sure, air taxis may seem decadent and car-less but could mean less urban traffic, less emissions.
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Their eVTOLs are pure EVs, no fossil fuels, no jet fuel
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Cross-country cars fall away in favour of long boring car journeys
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Supersonic electric layer at the speed of sound would clear roads of cars
The difference to helicopters is striking:
up to 90% lower emissions and almost no noise,
in combination with massively (around) less of a maintenance footprint.
Contents: How Cities Are Preparing
Cities around the world are currently beginning to invest in urban air mobility:
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Jobs and EHang joining forces
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Air taxi routes 2026
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Vertiports under development
Paris
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Volocopter 2024 Olympics (commercialization before he dies) I think
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Public Transport Integration
Los Angeles & Miami
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Joby + Archer with local governments
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The first Air taxis by 2025–2026*
Seoul & Tokyo
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UMDA (heavy government subsidy)
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Domestic air taxi service between the provinces and island nations is projected to start in FY 2028
The Future: Cathode Ray Tubes Smashes Into The Skies
eVTOLs hitting the mainstream will be cities that have to rethink their skies.
Picture:
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ACUSED: Next-generation airways above major highways
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Air traffic signals
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Autonomous fleets in an AI-piloted swarm
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Emergency drone response unit
We can expect to see flying suburbs or buildings with aerial airpads (those smart buildings).
Many futurists see an increase in the number of personal air vehicles 30 years from now
that will outnumber helicopters at their own range of regional flights under 200 miles.
Epilogue: The Time of Flying Cars is No Longer Fiction
This is no longer science fiction.
The battle to develop urban air mobility is completely real, and commercial flying cars are actually on their way.
Next Generation Taxicabs will become available in the next 5–10 years:
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Phone to call an air taxi
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10 minutes to fly across your city
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Remove traffic jams once and for all
Flying cars are going to exist — but not in the road via the road;
they will be part of the multi-layered transport map of tomorrow.
The sky is no longer the limit. It’s the next commute lane.
