Flying taxis may determine how Dubai moves and grows
The future will arrive shortly after September this year – at least according to Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority.
The RTA has announced that it will begin trials in the fourth quarter this year of the Velocopter 2X, a pilotless, two-seater flying taxi that could transform the process of getting from A to B.
When the news was first released this year, it predictably made headlines around the world. Flying taxis seemed the latest attention-grabber from a city synonymous with bling.
On their own, autonomous flying taxis might seem like another marketing gimmick for Brand Dubai. But they are actually part of something much bigger – a deliberate strategy to transform the way the city moves and grows.
The Government strategy for Dubai’s transport by 2030 is essential to understanding how they fit into a much bigger vision of the future.
Mattar Al Tayer, director general and chairman of the RETA board of directors, describes autonomous mobility – driverless vehicles to most of us – as a “fait accompli”.
The technology, he points out, has been tested in many countries. For Dubai, the director general says, this is an opportunity for the Government to take the lead, rather than leaving it to the private sector.
The goal, set in February, is that by 2030, one in four journeys will be made in an autonomous vehicle. To succeed, Mr Al Tayer said: “The journey on an autonomous vehicle will
soon be like boarding a lift. All of us trust the closed box that lifts us to different levels, as we know it is secure, ready and tested.”
Residents of Dubai are already familiar with autonomous transport. The Metro and the Dubai Tram use driverless vehicles and currently carry an average of more than 600,000 passengers every day.
The flying taxis are a more niche experiment. The city is in discussion with two companies, including the Chinese-designed and built Ehang 184, currently a single-seater version. The two-seater Velocopter, however, is likely to take to the skies first. The German-built flying machine features 18 independently powered rotors, with a top speed of about 100 kilometres an hour. With a flying limit of about half an hour, the electric motors can be recharged in about 40 minutes.
Safety concerns are obvious. The makers say several engines mean that even if the craft experiences mechanical problems, it will still be able to land safely. As an added precaution, the design incorporates a parachute, able to support the machine and its occupants.
Whether a flying taxi is viable is perhaps a bigger challenge. Private air travel is notoriously only for billionaires and film stars. Even if that price tag is significantly lowered, flying taxis will still be significantly more expensive than the terrestrial version, even if, as announced, Uber is interested in getting into the game.
Still, Dubai is a good place for the concept to succeed. No city knows better that time equals money. And driverless vehicles have the potential to save both, with the added benefit of reducing pollution and congestion.
Other experiments are under way. Last November a Mercedes E Class became the first self-driving car to make the journey from Abu Dhabi to Dubai, overcoming what Mark De Haes, the chief executive of Mercedes Middle East, described as “a lot of speeding and aggressive driving”.
Trials of a smart autonomous vehicle – a driverless electric 10-seater minibus – have already been completed in the Business Bay and Downtown Dubai districts.
The RTA videos that accompany the launch of the EZ10 – as it is properly called – point to a future that includes driverless cars, taxis and buses.
If the EZ10 seems familiar to residents of Abu Dhabi, it is because a similar concept has been operating at Masdar City since 2010 and has now transported more than two million visitors.
The city will take the idea of driverless transport even further, with a proposal to carry visitors around Yas Island, home to the Yas Marina Formula One circuit and the soonto-be completed Warner Bros theme park, using a network of elevated passenger pods.
Developers Miral have signed a deal with skyTran, an American company. SkyTran’s Personal Rapid Transportation concept (PRT) uses two-seater futuristic pods that can run at high speed, using magnetic levitation rather than wheels.
The system promises to be fast, safe and good for the environment. The eventual idea is to extend the PRT network to Abu Dhabi’s new airport terminal, due to open next year.
It may not be much longer that for visitors to the UAE, the pilot of the aircraft that brings them here will be the last person they see at the controls.