Float On
On Monday, Japanese electronics maker NEC Corp demonstrated its flying car by hovering it 10 feet off the ground for a full minute — putting Japan one step closer to its goal of being the world leader in flying vehicles.
“Japan is a densely populated country and that means flying cars could greatly alleviate the burden on road traffic,” Kouji Okada, a project leader at NEC, toldBloomberg. “We are positioning ourselves as an enabler for air mobility, providing location data and building communications infrastructure for flying cars.”
Safety First
NEC spent about a year developing the battery-powered flying car alongside Japanese startup Cartivator, which plans to begin mass producing the vehicle in 2026.
During Monday’s demonstration, the pair of developers enclosed the car in a large cage to ensure it wouldn’t hurt anyone if it decided to go rogue. Thankfully, everything went as hoped, with the 330-pound vehicle using its four propellers to lift off the ground without incident.
The pair will now focus on working out the remaining kinks with the vehicle — but at least they know one thing for sure: the flying car can indeed fly.
READ MORE: New Japanese Flying Car Gets Off the Ground, for About a Minute[Bloomberg]
More on flying cars: Japan Wants to Be the First Place Where Flying Cars Are Standard Because of Course
WHEELS UP
WATCH THIS FLYING CAR NAIL ITS FLIGHT DEMONSTRATION
KYODO NEWS PLUS VIA YOUTUBE
