Slovenian manufacturer Pipistrel has signed a partnership with ride-sharing giant Uber to deploy electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (VTOL) on a large scale.
Pipistrel and Uber announced the news yesterday at the Uber Elevate summit in Dallas Texas.
Uber plans to operate an on-demand network of electric VTOLs worldwide, which will enable customers to commute in several cities around the world, and will also supply delivery and logistics networks.
Pipistrel will develop aircraft to satisfy short-distance urban operations as well as systems to enable the aircraft to connect directly into ATC and regulator networks.
"I am proud and excited that Uber recognised our values, expertise and leadership in electric flight," said Pipistrel CEO Ivo Boscarol. "This partnership marks the beginning of an exciting journey towards entirely new ways we travel, not only saving time but also being friendly to the environment."
“Uber is excited to have Pipistrel working with us and starting to develop VTOLs for Uber Elevate," said Uber Director of Engineering for Aviation Mark Moore. "Pipistrel is the only company in the world that builds and sells electric aircraft today. With brand new factory to increase their capacity, they are a valued partner in making Uber’s VTOL network a reality.”
According to the company, Uber Elevate will have "the potential to radically improve urban mobility, giving people back time lost in their daily commutes. Uber is close to the commute pain that citizens in cities around the world feel. We view helping to solve this problem as core to our mission and our commitment to our rider base.
"Just as skyscrapers allowed cities to use limited land more efficiently, urban air transportation will use three-dimensional airspace to alleviate transportation congestion on the ground."
Uber has identified several challenges that need to be overcome, including a projected shortage of commercial pilots to fly the aircraft, type certification and current lack of supporting infrastructure.
Both Uber and Pipistrel are targeting 2020 for the first flight demonstration.