Uber has struck a deal with the US National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) as part of its plans to roll out flying cars in cities around the world.
It would work with the space agency to develop software for managing flying taxi routes, Uber’s chief product officer Jeff Holden announced at the Web Summit in Lisbon.
Uber wants to see widespread use of electric, on-demand air taxis – part-drone, part fixed-wing aircraft – which could be ordered via a smartphone app in the same way as its road-based taxis.
UberAir in eill launch in Los Angeles in 2020.
The plan for launching in LA is to rely on 20 strategically placed flight bases around the city, starting with LAX, Downtown, Sherman Oaks and Santa Monica. The city will also play host to Uber’s next Elevate conference, at which the partners involved in the UberAir project will meet in spring 2018.
NASA is yet to comment on the deal.
