A certified flying car that could run as early as 2025

Flying car projects have multiplied in recent years and each of the manufacturers involved is fighting to be the first to bring their eVTOL, an electric vehicle with vertical take-off and landing, to the market.

The Japanese company SkyDrive could well win this race and be the first to put its flying car into circulation. SkyDrive has in fact obtained the first safety certificate for its eVTOL flying cars in Japan, which will allow it to market them from 2025.

The certificate was issued by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT). It certifies the safety of the vehicle. Rigorous tests were applied to test the strength and flight capabilities of the aircraft, while the company also had to submit a large amount of data and manufacturing plans related to the concept.

To date, this is the first time that this approval has been granted to a flying car in Japan. In a press release, the company states that this certificate guarantees that “the design, structure, strength and performance meet the necessary safety and environmental requirements.”

A small flying car

SkyDrive’s eVTOL electric flying car is called “SD-03”. She successfully performed a flight demonstration with a pilot in August 2020.

The SD-03 has only one seat. It is powered by eight propellers in a quadrotor formation, which makes it look like a large manned drone. Its autonomy is also very close to its cousins, since it only has about 10 minutes of flight time. Its maximum speed is 48 km / h.

With this safety certification, SkyDrive now hopes to offer its vehicles as a flying taxi service by 2025, but the company says the job is not done. The car still needs to be improved before its release: “We will continue to work in close partnership with the government and MLIT to complete the development of a completely safe and reliable flying car. Our goal is to develop the smallest model of flying car in the world, approximately 2 meters high, 4 meters wide and 4 meters long. “

Ultimately, the company wants to achieve a speed of 64 km / h and a flight time of 30 minutes with its eVTOL. It also aims to deploy a two-seater business model.