It's Happening! Flying Cars in Japan! AutoFlight's eVTOL Takes Off
Image Credit: AutoFlight.
A company called AutoFlight, with the enthusiasm of a puppy chasing its tail and the financial backing of some serious tech giants, has been making itself known in the eVTOL scene. They've cooked up this contraption called the Prosperity, a five-seater that looks like a cross between a minivan and a drone. And guess what? They recently took it for its first spin in Japan, in collaboration with a non-profit called MASC and with the blessing of the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau.
This wasn't just an average boring test flight. Oh no, this was a fully autonomous flight, meaning no pilot was needed. The Prosperity took off, flew around, and landed all by itself, like a futuristic robot bird. This little escapade was part of Japan's grand plan to revolutionize urban air transportation. They're envisioning a world where we hop into flying taxis and zip across cities faster than you can say "traffic jam."
AutoFlight also has a cargo-carrying version of the Prosperity called the CarryAll. This beast of burden can haul up to 880 pounds of stuff, making it perfect for deliveries, emergency response, or maybe even smuggling your mother-in-law's fruitcake out of the country. And it's fully electric and can fly itself. Basically, Amazon Prime on steroids.
AutoFlight seems to have a knack for firsts. Not that long ago, they pulled off the world's first inter-city electric taxi trip in China, flying their Prosperity between Shenzhen and Zhuhai. This little jaunt across the Pearl River Delta cut a three-hour car ride down to a 20-minute flight. That right there is what I call cutting-edge commuting.
The crew of AutoFlight also got their eyes on the firefighting game. They've whipped up a prototype of a flying firetruck that can carry up to 800 pounds of fire-extinguishing canisters. Imagine that, a firetruck that can swoop in from the sky and douse flames before they spread. This is what happens when someone watches too many superhero movies. And I mean it in a good way.
Just in case you were wondering, the Prosperity is about the size of a large car, with a wingspan of 36 feet and a takeoff weight of 3,307 pounds. It's powered by electric motors that churn out enough power to propel it to a top speed of 124 mph. And with a range of 155 miles, it can cover a decent amount of ground before needing a recharge.
So, the future of transportation is taking flight, and it's electric, autonomous, and maybe just a tiny bit crazy. I'm not sure we'll all be zipping around in flying cars anytime soon, but I'm absolutely sure that the journey is going to be exciting.
