Japanese company SkyDrive successfully carried out a test flight with one person on board. SkyDrive Inc. is one of several urban air mobility projects going on around the world. But many of these projects have been stalled during the coronavirus pandemic.
The test flight was conducted at the 2.5-acre Toyota City, one of the largest test fields in Japan. Single-seater SD-03 flying car prototype managed to circle the field with a pilot on board.
It used its four pairs of propellers to lift off and cruise at an altitude of around 6 feet with drone-like stability for around 10 minutes. This flying car is designed to be the world’s smallest electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) vehicle. It is only 6.5 feet (2mtr) tall by 13 feet (4mtr) wide and 13 feet (4mtr) long.
SkyDrive may not be the first company to complete a test flight. But of more than 100 ongoing flying car projects across the globe, only a few have succeeded with manned flight. This soon-to-be-marketed flying car has a goal of commercialization by 2023.
The project is strongly backed by auto giant Toyota, construction company Obayashi, electronics company NEC, petroleum conglomerate Eneos and the Development Bank of Japan.
