Advertisement

Flying car takes flight briefly in Japan

By Clyde Hughes

Aug. 5 (UPI) -- A flying car made by a Japanese electronics company lifted about 10 feet off the ground in a test run with no passengers Monday, a first step toward a goal of passenger use by 2030.

The NEC Corp. showed off the vehicle in a brief demonstration in a Tokyo suburb. Such a vehicle would be handy in crowded cities like Tokyo, Dubai and Singapore.

Advertisement

"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 told Bloomberg. "We are positioning ourselves as an enabler for air mobility, providing location data and building communications infrastructure for flying cars."

The car, which has four propellers that give the vehicle its lift, is being tested in a large cage for safety.

To support the flying car industry, the Japanese government has supported the construction of a large test course in an area reclaimed after the Fukushima nuclear disaster and 2011 tsunami. Officials hope the flying cars would help connect Japan and its islands.

Mie island, a location that is a hotspot resort for Hollywood celebrities, also hopes flying cars will connect it to various other islands.

Advertisement

Latest Headlines