SkyDrive’s SD-XX concept model of the eVTOL we may all fly one day is the exact kind of vehicle Gen Xers imagined when we were kids watching The Jetsons. It is made to travel on the ground and take off straight up and fly.
The Tokyo-based eVTOL (electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing) company has been around since 2018 when it was launched with a focus on designing and making practical electric flying cars.
And in case this looks like another fantasy concept vehicle tease, the list of SkyDrive investors might make it a much more realistic idea.
According to Robb Report, “SkyDrive has received backing from Toyota, Fujitsu, Panasonic and other high-tech firms and is working with local governments in Japan to bring the vision to life.”
The two-seater SD-XX prototype has been designed with a cruising speed of 62 mph and a potential 12-mile flight range. It can cruise at remarkably sedate 37 mph for up to 19 miles.
That doesn’t sound like much, but steadily improving battery technology will up the SD-XX’s overall range and flying time. Tesla is already working on a “million-mile” battery and Rolls-Royce has been working on breaking the 300 mph speed barrier for electric planes.
If SkyDrive does all it seeks to do with the SD-XX, it has a head start on marketability with vehicle contours straight out of science fiction. The 13×11.5 feet eVTOLs are also easily stored, standing just 5 feet tall and weighing just over 1,100 pounds. If it becomes a viable commuter vehicle, the pedestrian-friendly city of the future may follow.
We will see where transportation is really going with ideas like these when SkyDrive begins selling the SD-XX in 2023.