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Flying cars set to take centre stage at CES 2019 this week

CES 2019 will provide a platform for automotive firms and start-ups to show-off the latest innovations in transport

Flying cars set to take centre stage at CES 2019 this week
Image via Pixabay
  • Dev Kundaliya
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The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2019 is upon us, and there is already a huge buzz growing on flying cars ahead of the event. According to AFP, many tech firms are set to unveil prototypes of their airborne vehicles at the CES 2019. The event will run from January 8 until January 12 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

CES 2019 will provide a perfect platform to top automotive firms and new start-ups to exhibit latest innovations in the transportation sector. NFT Inc. is one such firm which is currently working on a prototype of its flying car. This vehicle will have all the features of a normal car, but will also be able to fly on auto-pilot mode and take off or land vertically.

"We believe we have a winning design that will enable us to make the Model T of flying cars—a low-cost production model," NFT co-founder Guy Kaplinsky told AFP.

Currently, NFT wants to focus only on designing hardware and software for their flying vehicle, and approaches equipment manufacturers to crank out products at scale.

"We learned from Tesla that Elon Musk spent too much time on the production side," Guy Kaplinsky said. "We are spending our time on the technology side and will partner with companies on assembly."

NFT currently has a staff of 15 people, but wants to expand its team to include more talented people. The firm is aiming to seek an approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration before 2024.

NFT's flying car will be electric-powered and may be launched with a price tag of about $50,000. The vehicle is expected to have a flying range of about 500 km and a drive capacity of about 100 kilometres. It is being developed in Israel and California, and the firm expects to have a demonstration vehicle ready by late 2020.

In Japan, volunteers of Cartivator group are also working to develop a 'Skydrive' flying car. They plan to use one such flying car to light up the flame at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020. Cartivator is backed by Toyota group and will exhibit a scaled-down replica of its flying car at CES 2019.

Some other big companies, including Uber, Amazon, and Airbus, are also working on their drones and flying vehicles, which may be handy in reducing traffic on roads. They could also help in providing emergency responses to accidents or natural disasters.

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