Google X Co-founder Sebastian Thrun Says Flying Cars Will be a Reality in 5 Years

It was merely a few days ago that Airbus test-flew its autonomous flying taxi prototype, Project Vahana. While that vehicle isn't likely to outset ferrying passengers any time soon, at least 1 leading name in the industry is claiming that flight cars could be a reality within merely v years. According to former Googler, and Google X co-founder Sebastian Thrun, who is currently the CEO of Larry Page-backed flying automobile company Kitty Hawk, such vehicles could exist closer to reality than many of usa seem to believe right now.

Having already unveiled a prototype flying machine last Apr, Thrun also said that the next version of the vehicle is "very very close" to being ready for launch. In fact, the large unveil could come as early equally adjacent calendar month, as he reportedly told CNBC that at that place will a "big announcement coming forward in March". In an interview on the sidelines of the World Government Superlative in Dubai on Monday, he apparently also told the network that:

"About of information technology (transportation) stays on the ground. And the footing is very capacity limited… when you become in the air, the air is by and large free. And y'all are at present at a point where we can make air-based transportation, similar daily transpiration, safer, faster and too more cheaper actually, environmentally friendly, than on the ground"

In fact he too expressed hope that earlier long, people will be able to hail flying taxis via smartphone apps, just similar we book Ubers and Olas today. Describing the nascent autonomous flight taxi technology as "the scientific discipline phase", Thrun said that, "I wouldn't see why inside five years' time nosotros wouldn't be able to accept a city like Dubai and really give them massive arrangement for people to employ flying cars every 24-hour interval".

Thrun was ane of the founders of Google'southward secretive R&D sectionalisation called Google X, which is famous for 'moonshots' such as Google Glass and Project Loon. Started in 2010, information technology is currently operated by Alphabet Inc nether the proper noun X. Alongside being the master exec at Kitty Militarist, Thrun is also the chairman of an online education firm chosen Udacity. Below is the 'Kitty Militarist Flyer': the company's kickoff flying car epitome.