It’s not often that the aerospace and automotive industries come together, though when they do, things tend to take flight, both literally and figuratively.

Meet the Pop.Up, a concept for multi-modal transportation that makes use of both ground as well as airspace, consisting of three main layers.

First, you have an Artificial Intelligence platform able to manage the travel complexity, offering alternative usage scenarios for a seamless travel experience. Then there’s the passenger capsule that can be coupled with two different electric propelled modules (for ground and air), and finally you have the interface module that interacts with users virtually.

The Pop.Up concept presented at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, basically combines the flexibility of a small two-seater road car, with the freedom and speed of a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) air vehicle, bridging the previously-mentioned automotive and aerospace domains.

From an operational standpoint, the system would have passengers plan their journey and book their trip via an easy-to-use app. Then the system would automatically suggest the best transportation method, while taking into account timing, traffic congestion, costs, ridesharing demands and so on.

If the trip is to be done by air, once completed, the air and ground modules will autonomously return to dedicated recharge stations in order to wait for their next customers.

In terms of dimensions, the concept’s carbon fiber cocoon measures 2.6 meters (8.5 ft) long, 1.4 meters (4.6 ft) high and 1.5 meters (4.9 ft) wide. Once coupled to the ground module, the vehicle becomes a battery-powered city car, however for air travel, it works via a 5 by 4.4 meter (16 by 14 ft) air module propelled by eight counter-rotating rotors.

“Adding the third dimension to seamless multi-modal transportation networks will without a doubt improve the way we live and how we get from A to B,” said Mathias Thomsen, GM for Urban Air Mobility at Airbus. “Successfully designing and implementing solutions that will work both in the air and on the ground requires a joint reflection on the part of both aerospace and automotive sectors, alongside collaboration with local government bodies for infrastructure and regulatory frameworks. Italdesign, with its long track record of exceptional vehicle design was an exciting partner for Airbus for this unique concept project.”

If you’re curious about performance and driving/flying range, know that the ground module is powered by two motors with a total output of 60 kW (80 HP), needs 15 min to charge, will do 100 km/h (62 mph) and has a range of 130 km (80 miles).

The air module on the other hand packs 136 kW (182 HP), will also charge in 15 min, has the same top speed as the ground module, yet its maximum range is shorter at 100 km (without payload).

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