Flying Car Prototype Is First To Be Awarded With Safety Certification In Japan
Image via SkyDrive
Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism (MLIT) has—for the first time—awarded a safety certificate to SkyDrive, the Tokyo-based firm working on an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) flying car.
The prototype, which was first unveiled back in 2018, successfully completed its first-ever piloted test flight last year. According to Interesting Engineering, its latest version, SD-03, makes use of eight propellers to lift off, and is capable of a top speed of 30 mph, though its maximum trip only lasts 10 minutes.
By being granted this safety certificate, the MLIT is acknowledging the flying car’s “design, structure, strength, and performance meet the necessary safety and environmental requirements.”
This marks a milestone moment for electric aviation in the country, and as per DroneDJ, it’s the first time a flying car has been granted to an eVTOL flying car. The company, which considers the approval a major success in its journey, hopes for the vehicle to launch sometime in 2025.
SkyDrive said it was “very pleased” to have been awarded the certification, and that it will focus on working “in close partnership with the government and MLIT to complete [its] development of a wholly safe and reliable flying car.”
As previously reported by DesignTAXI, such allowances are rare in Japan, where heavy traffic is often a problem.
Take a look at the prototype in action below.
[via Interesting Engineering and DroneDJ, cover image SkyDrive]
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