If you believe automakers, the dream of personal aerial transportation is fast approaching. China’s Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC) has revealed its take on the future of transportation: a flying pod that connects to a wheeled chassis to make it the master of both the roads and the skies.
Dubbed the GOVE, the name stands for “GAC’s on-the-go, vertical-flight, electric vehicle.” The single seat vehicle has six rotors and uses GAC’s ADiGO-Pilot autonomous flying technology to allow owners to travel to their destination with great speed and ease.
For shorter trips or taxiing, the GOVE can land on a four-wheel landing pad. On its dock, the vehicle acts as a normal electric car, albeit a single-seater with some unusual accessories on top that would make me nervous about overtaking a taller vehicle.
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The chassis can be operated remotely, meaning that it can go charge itself while you’re in the air. Rather than selling the whole thing as a unit, GAC envisions the chassis being shared by a number of users as needed.
So far, details about range, power, and availability remain scant, but GAC did tell Nikkei that putting the GOVE into production and getting it into customers’ hands would “probably take a long time.” It must also deal with the bureaucratic challenge of getting drones approved for passenger use in China.
However, GAC did show the vehicle flying with a passenger inside this week, and says it will partner with companies like Ruqi Mobility and Robotaxi in the future to build up its flying car department, reports CNEVPost.
In addition to the Chinese company, other companies like Hyundai, Xpeng, and Airbus are all experimenting with the concept of electric vertical takeoff and landing drones for passenger transportation.
