Audi, Airbus and Italdesign have presented a flying taxi concept at the Amsterdam Drone Week. The autonomous and electric Pop.Up Next drone is still a model for now.
The Pop.Up Next air taxi by Audi, Airbus and Italdesign
Audi
The flying taxi concept of Audi, Airbus and Italdesign combines a self-driving electric car with a drone. The electric unpiloted aerial vehicle shown at the Amsterdam Drone Week is still a 1:4 scale model for now. "With Pop.Up Next we are simultaneously exploring the boundaries of what is technically possible. The next step is for a full-size prototype to fly and drive," says Dr. Bernd Martens, Audi board member for sourcing and IT, and president of the Audi subsidiary Italdesign.
The Pop.Up Next flying taxi has already passed its first test. The flight module accurately placed a passenger capsule on the ground module, which then drove from the test grounds autonomously. To see what an on-demand service of this kind could be like, Audi is conducting tests in South America in cooperation with the Airbus subsidiary Voom, which offers helicopter flights, as well as an Audi vehicle. Audi is also supporting a flying taxi project in Ingolstadt, Germany. "Flying taxis are on the way. That's something that we, at Audi, are certain of," says Martens with assurance.