Embraer submits “flying taxi” design to Uber

Embraer X, the innovation arm of Brazilian aircraft manufacturing company Embraer, has submitted a “flying taxi” design to executives of international ride-hailing company Uber.

According to plans, Uber should start testing Embraer prototypes by 2020, Brazilian tech-news portal Tecmundo reported.

Once ready, electrical Vertical Take-Off and Landing vehicles (eVTOL) - made by Ebraer and other Uber partners – should have at least 96km of autonomy and see speeds of 240-320km/h.

Last year, Uber struck a deal with NASA to develop a traffic system for low-altitude flights. NASA is developing a software to manage routes which is similar to Uber’s ride-hailing system on the ground.

Photo: Embraer concept to hold four passengers and one pilot (Source: Embraer X)