Boeing said on Wednesday that its prototype “flying car” has completed its first successful test flight.
Boeing is among a handful of companies — including Uber and a startup backed by Google founder Larry Page — that are developing vehicles which could be used for personal air transport with autonomous navigation.
Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences designed and developed the prototype.
The vehicle lifted off the ground and made a soft landing after less than a minute in Virginia. Tests will continue “to advance the safety and reliability of on-demand autonomous air transportation,” the company said.
“In one year, we have progressed from a conceptual design to a flying prototype,” said Boeing chief technology officer Greg Hyslop.
The electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft is designed for fully autonomous flight from takeoff to landing, with a range of up to 80 km.
The craft integrates propulsion and wing systems to hover and advance like a helicopter.
“This is what revolution looks like, and it’s because of autonomy,” said John Langford, president of Aurora.
