Categories: Sci/Tech

Japan Conducts Successful Manned Test Flight for Flying Car

The company is aiming to make the technology available "not only in Japan but also across the globe."

A technology company in Japan has conducted a manned test flight for their first flying car.
SkyDrive’s SD-03 is expected to launch come 2023 and the successful first test is a good sign, according to the firm.
More tests will be counted soon and if things go as planned, the company hopes to make the vehicle available for the rest of the world.

We already have an answer for science fiction enthusiasts asking “It’s already 2020, where are our flying cars?”

Well as you’ve read in the headline, the answer is loud and clear: Japan has it. And if things go as planned, the technology may even be available for the rest of the world soon.

Japanese tech firm SkyDrive Inc recently made headlines after conducting a successful test drive (or we should probably call it test flight, right?) of their flying car. The said demonstration took place at the Toyota Test Field last August 25 and was recorded as the first test ever for a flying car in the country.

The SD-03 flying vehicle model took off the ground and circled the area fo around 4 minutes.

In an official statement, Tomohiro Fukuzawa,CEO of Sky Drive proudly said:

“We are extremely excited to have achieved Japan’s first-ever manned flight of a flying car in the two years since we founded SkyDrive.”

Meanwhile, Design Director Takumi Yamamot pointed out:

“In designing an unexplored, new genre of transportation known as the flying car, we chose the keyword “progressive” for inspiration.
“We wanted this vehicle to be futuristic, charismatic and desirable for all future customers, while fully incorporating the high technology of SkyDrive.”

More test flights are expected to follow soon to ensure that the innovative technology meets required industry standards.

According to the company, they will continue working on the technology until it becomes ready for the market come 2023.

“We want to realize a society where flying cars are an accessible and convenient means of transportation in the skies and people are able to experience a safe, secure, and comfortable new way of life,” Fukuzawa added. “We also aspire to develop markets around the world, in collaboration with our partner companies, so that an urban air mobility society with aircraft supplied by SkyDrive becomes a reality not only in Japan but also across the globe.”