Flying
cabs without a pilot are one answer to the traffic chaos in congested cities.
According to experts, a tough competition is about to become a reality in this
market. The reason is that it is not only risk-taking start-ups that are
getting involved here. Companies like Airbus and Siemens are also involved, as
are Audi and the taxi operator Uber.
They
are investing a lot of money because they see a turnover potential of several
hundred billion euros in this market. This is shown by the study “Mind-Shift: A
Compendium on Future Mobility, Circularity and New Urbanism“, which the media
monitoring company press relations carried out in spring 2022 using First Signals,
an early detection method. The development of mobility was analysed on the
basis of reporting in the most important German- and English-language leading
media.
Flying
taxis are oversized electrically powered drones that do not have a camera
attached for aerial photography, but a cabin with space for two to four people,
depending on the manufacturer and their concept. That's where the protagonists
differentiate. When it comes to assessing the future potential, however, they
are of the same opinion and agree that these are not overgrown toys.
What
can be seen so far are mature, futuristic flying machines that are to be used
primarily in inner-city areas. This is because the problem of short ranges,
familiar from electric cars, applies in the same way to electric air taxis. At
present, 30 kilometres are considered feasible without any problems. In many
cities, this corresponds to the distance from the city centre to the airport.
For
Dr Hans Hamer, CEO of Shift Mobility, the study "Mind Shift" is a
seismograph for the coming trends in mobility. Air taxis in various shapes and
sizes will make an important contribution to solving mobility problems in large
urban areas.