Airbus’ idea of avoiding rush hour is to fly over it. The aircraft manufacturer announced a new conceptual car-drone project called Pop.Up. They claim that you can transition from car to flying car to train with just a push of a button.
According to Business Insider, the car-drone combo will make its debut at the Geneva Motor Show, which opens to the public on March 9th. The key component of the Pop.Up system is the capsule. It is 2.5 meters long and 1.4 meters high and it houses the passengers. The same capsule can be attached to a battery-powered chassis to become a two-seater electric car. The chassis can drive 100 kilometers on a single charge when the capsule is detached. This means that it is not a long-range vehicle concept.
The modular design allows the capsule to easily unhook from its chassis and get airlifted by an accompanying drone. The drone is autonomous and it is powered by 8 rotors. The drone can be summoned by a smartphone app that can also suggest the best transport solutions.
The Verge reported that the whole system of the Airbus’ concept is powered by an artificial intelligence. Airbus claims that it will develop a seamless travel experience by avoiding the traffic jam. Airbus designed the concept with a design company from Italy called Italdesign. Italdesign is most known for designing the original Volkswagen Golf and dozens of concepts for BMW, Alfa Romeo, and more. However, this particular design is more futuristic than anything they’ve done before.
Airbus’ idea might never get out of concept mode, but having the thought of modular car-drone is surely intriguing. However, they are seriously pursuing the use of Vertical Take-Off and Landing vehicles for urban commutes. Airbus is also working on an electric single-passenger aircraft for urban transit, and a flying taxi named CityAirbus. Airbus hasn’t announced any time frame from the project, which is not surprising considering that the idea is more likely to show up in a video game before it becomes a reality.
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