Dubai aims to launch hover-taxi by July

[Dawood Ibrahim]

AAFP
February 14, 2017
SCI-TECH

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DUBAI: Dubai has tested a Chinese prototype of a self-driving hover-taxi, its transport authority said on Monday, with the aim of introducing the aerial vehicle in the emirate by July.

The test of the one-man electric vehicle comes as the city-state in the United Arab Emirates seeks to ensure a quarter of its means of transport are self-driving by 2030.

The EHang 184 can travel on a programmed course at 100 kilometres an hour (60 mph) at an altitude of 300 metres (1,000 feet), the authority said in a statement.

A passenger simply needs to select a destination for the autonomous taxi to take off, fly the route and touch down in the chosen spot monitored by a ground control centre, it said.

The vehicle, made by Chinese drone manufacturer EHang, can recharge in two hours and make trips of up to 30 minutes.

"The autonomous aerial vehicle exhibited at the World Government Summit is not just a model," authority head Mattar al-Tayer said on Monday.

"We have already experimented (with) the vehicle in a flight in (the) Dubai sky," he said in English.

The authority was "making every effort to start the operation of the autonomous aerial vehicle in July 2017" to help reduce traffic congestion, Tayer said.

The quadcopter is powered by eight propellers, the authority said.

It has highly accurate sensors and can resist extreme temperatures, it said. The emirate is known for its scorching summers.

In November, Dubai agreed a deal with US startup Hyperloop One to study the construction of a near-supersonic transport link to the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi.

Home to Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest tower, Dubai is a leading tourist destination in the Gulf, attracting a record 14.9 million visitors in 2016.


https://www.geo.tv/latest/131007-Dubai-aims-to-launch-hover-taxi-by-July

 

[H!TchHiker]

Ok..So now after metro soon Mian bradraans will introduce this and say look we introduced havaai taxi for common ppl what else do you need

 

[I S I]

@Doordie, I will sit only if you're the driver.

Edit: shit, it's autonomous.

 

[Dawood Ibrahim]

@Doordie, I will sit only if you're the driver.

Edit: shit, it's autonomous.

Thanks for trusting me . My boss gived me warning as i drove abit fast . What to do Cadillac escalade X.L. When i drive it feels like king of pathans is driving

 

[Jugger]

Get close to those propellers and you'll be missing a hand or leg or worse.

 

[I S I]

Thanks for trusting me . My boss gived me warning as i drove abit fast . What to do Cadillac escalade X.L. When i drive it feels like king of pathans is driving

What car do you drive on duty bro?

 

[war&peace]

Dubai is rocking... That's good approach that they are the early adopters of new technologies and service whether is hover/flying taxi or hyperloop. Truly an attractive place for tourists. This shows how UAE rulers have turned the desert into a modern city. But their biggest achievement is the law and order.

 

[Dawood Ibrahim]

What car do you drive on duty bro?

@I S I dear i drive Cadillac escalad XL exactly below

Dubai is rocking... That's good approach that they are the early adopters of new technologies and service whether is hover/flying taxi or hyperloop. Truly an attractive place for tourists. This shows how UAE rulers have turned the desert into a modern city. But their biggest achievement is the law and order.

@war&peace brother Dubai economy is an artifice as you know yet it their leader is honest and wants to be 1st in every positive move. Yesterday elon musk announce they are opening tesla service station and off the topic abit Dubai has the only service station for cars like bugatti McLaren bentley etc. Now jus think guys all these cars come from GCC and do service or repair so much the business earnings as i my boss car Bentley 4w coast high amount

 

[I S I]

@I S I dear i drive Cadillac escalad XL exactly below

Don't mind but it sounds like a Viagra product. XD