The concept of urban transportation systems that move people by air is now known as urban air mobility, or UAM. That would be a rare 1960s-era Bell Aerospace Company Rocket Belt, the world’s first jet pack. At the Smithsonian exhibit on ‘FUTURES’ it was joined by another tech dream that has yet to reach the masses. It recently re-appeared as a display at the Smithsonian without flying, let alone carrying a paying passenger. The Nexus air taxi was a big hit at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show. Concept “taxis” like the Nexus from Bell are designed to fly four passengers plus a pilot (who will disappear when full automation arrives) up to 150 miles, using multiple rotors powered by battery-powered electric engines. "In the next 10 to 15 years, we'll see a huge infrastructure improvement," Kaplinsky said.But most business buzz is about EVTOL, or electric vertical takeoff and lift aircraft. The company plans to start test flights of full-scale aircraft in 2022.įor much more crowded skies, airspace control technology will need an upgrade - a project going on right now at the Federal Aviation Administration to accommodate EVTOLs, delivery drones and other new types of aircraft. It needs a square patch only 65 feet on a side to take off or land, but a conventional runway takeoff takes 30% less power and increases flight range. The Aska is an example of an EVTOL - an electrically powered vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. The current design, enabled by the use of in-wheel motors to propel the Aska on the road, is a more aerodynamic teardrop shape. When NFT first showed its Aska plans, it was more like a boxy car with wings. "A $500,000 house and our vehicle is still cheaper than an apartment in the city," Kaplinksy said.Ī computer rendering of NFT's Aska flying car, due to arrive in 2026. That's still a lot of money, but Kaplinsky and Maki Kaplinsky, his wife and NFT's chief operating officer, believe people will buy Askas once they realize they can combine an expensive flying car with an aerial commute to a vastly cheaper house far away from urban centers. But by 2030, NFT expects the Aska to be fully autonomous, able to take off, fly and land automatically.
The price tag includes training for a necessary private pilot's license, a 40-hour process. A second set of Askas should cost $589,000, followed by mass production models at $359,000. Spending on air taxis should grow to $14.7 billion by 2041, analyst firm IDTechX predicts.Įventually, the technology will spread beyond the Lamborghini set, Kaplinsky expects. That includes big names such as General Motors, Boeing and Hyundai and startups like Kitty Hawk, Archer, Lilium, Wisk, Horizon Aircraft and Joby Aviation, which acquired Uber's air taxi program. Even though Uber ditched its Elevate plan, plenty of companies are interested in flying car and flying taxi efforts. NFT is among several companies hoping to shake up transportation with new flight technology. That $5,000 - held in an escrow account and fully refundable, by the way - gets you one share of the company's stock, admittance to status update meetings every three to six months, and a place at the head of the line for a planned 1,500 limited-edition models of the Aska, each costing a whopping $789,000. It's designed to drive on the road to takeoff and landing sites. NFT plans to sell its Aska folding-wing flying car starting in 2026. The name is Japanese for "flying bird," but at the size of a large SUV (it fits four passengers and has a 50-foot wingspan), you won't be mistaking the Aska for any actual avians. It has folding wings, a 150 mph top speed, a 250-mile range, six propellers powered by six batteries, and dual gas motors to keep those batteries charged. It's an unusual design that can drive on conventional roads to and from takeoff and landing sites.
A Silicon Valley-based startup called NFT earlier this month opened a showroom to tout the aircraft and accept the refundable deposits to join its founder's club. If you're a believer in flying cars, you can now put down a $5,000 deposit to get one called the Aska that's scheduled to land in 2026.
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