In January, AirSpaceX did unveil their MOBi-ONE flying taxi at North American International Auto Show. The autonomous, fully-electric flying taxi is able to carry 2 to 4 passengers to specific areas within sixty miles, at the top speed of 2,50 mph.
Self-driving & electric cars are already changing the way we travel on streets & highways, but flying taxis are aiming to get us entirely off the ground. AirSpaceX is an air mobility company that is based in Detroit. It has revealed their flying taxi — dubbed as “MOBi-ONE,”— at the North American International Auto Show earlier in January.
The flying taxi was designed with autonomy in mind. It makes the use of these capabilities to carry 2-4 passengers to the areas within its 60-mile range, including airports & urban centers. Its VTOL design does enable it to take off like a helicopter, then re-position its wings to fly just like a plane at a top speed of 250 mph.
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Passengers would be treated to broadband connectivity for the high-speed internet access & can be comfortable in the aircraft’s V2X collision avoidance & safety messaging systems. MOBI-ONE is able to learn, and will take cues from the pilot — but a safety pilot is present for each of the flight, for now.
According to the founder and CEO of AirSpaceX Jon Rimanelli, MOBi-ONE will offer clean, quiet & on-demand air travel at a reasonable price (Rimanelli has not disclosed potential prices during the event).
Rimanelli says during the initial reveal that “The reality is that everyone is in believe that traffic is a problem,” adding that “The auto companies have not been focused on automation to reduce traffic and emissions.”
NewAtlas has reported that MOBi-ONE has the potential to be ustilised as more than a taxi. It could also be utilized for medical & evacuation purposes, and research as well as surveillance operations.
Rimanelli has claimed MOBi-ONE would be ready for demonstrations starting in the year 2020. JP Yorro, who is the Chief Commercial Officer at AirSpaceX, has detailed plans to launch 2,500 MOBI-ONE aircraft by 2026, to be spread out across 50 largest cities in the United States.
AirSpaceX believes MOBi-ONE would reduce ground traffic & travel times, they are not the only company working on flying taxis having claimed the same: Uber , NASA, and Airbus, as well as Boeing (alongside Near Earth Autonomy), also have flying taxi concepts in works.
The skies may also seem relatively empty, but enough flying taxis would surely begin to make airspace more precious than ever before, especially if they are forbidden from traveling at densely populated areas. There is no doubt that idea of a flying taxi is exciting, but it remains to be seen that how practical they will be.
