Japanese flying car to take off and land vertically by the end of next year

Toyota has decided to invest a huge amount of capital to turn the idea of ​​a vertical take-off and landing flying car into reality by the end of next year.

Skydrive flying car model

Toyota Motor Corporation of Japan is planning to put its Skydrive manned flying car into operation by the end of 2018, according to Nikkei Asia Review. The idea for Skydrive began in 2012, when Tsubasa Nakamura and a group of friends won a competition with their original flying car design, which they named Cartivator.

The 30-person team began developing Skydrive in 2014, when it attracted funding and successfully tested a small-scale prototype. With Toyota’s investment, Nakamura’s team will develop a full-scale prototype for piloted flight testing. The Aichi, Japan-based automaker will invest $350,000 to make Skydrive a reality.

Small scale model of Skydrive successfully test flight

Skydrive will be 2.9 meters long, 1.3 meters wide and 1.1 meters high, considered the world's smallest flying car. The designers' goal is to achieve a cruising speed of 100 km/h and a driving speed of 150 km/h.

Skydrive will feature technology common to drones, including four rotating propellers. The direction of travel is controlled by adjusting the rotation speed of each propeller. The vehicle can hover 10 meters above the ground and take off and land vertically, so it does not require a runway.

Cartivator hopes to have a finished version ready by 2020, in time for Skydrive to light the Olympic torch in Tokyo that year. They also expect a commercial version to be available by 2023.

According to VNE