This is the start-up's first partnership with a U.S. That will allow their flying cars to take off and land vertically.

Uber wants to make vertical take-off and landing vehicles. Uber said at the Web Summit tech conference in Lisbon that it signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA for the development of 'unmanned traffic management.' This is NASA's push to figure out how unmanned aerial systems (UAS), such as drones that fly at a low altitude, can operate safely. The ride-hailing service has recently been rocked by a number of setbacks, including detailed accusations of sexual harassment from a former female employee and a video showing Chief Executive Travis Kalanick harshly berating an Uber driver.It is now stepping up its efforts to make the project a reality. Uber, which has partnered with the Dubai government, expects to conduct passenger flights as part of the World Expo 2020 in Dubai.

Uber is working on developing an exclusive charger for its network. electric vehicle charging station maker ChargePoint. Uber, valued at $68 billion, has also teamed with companies such as Bell Helicopter, Aurora, Pipistrel, Mooney, and Embraer to make the flying taxis. The company is working with Hillwood Properties to make four vertiports - VTOL hubs with multiple takeoff and landing pads, and charging infrastructure - in Dallas starting next year, Holden said. In the longer term, Uber expects the cost of taking flying taxis to fall below car ownership. In an early scale operation, the company can get to $1.32 per passenger mile, a little higher than taking an UberX for a similar distance, Holden said.

Uber's flying taxis will be small, electric aircraft that take off and land vertically, or VTOLs, with zero emissions and quiet enough to operate in cities.įlying taxis would cut travel time between San Francisco's Marina to downtown San Jose to 15 minutes, compared with the more than two hours it takes by road, Uber estimates. The company expects to deploy its flying taxis in Dallas-Fort Worth and Dubai by 2020, Chief Product Officer Jeff Holden said at the Uber Elevate Summit in Dallas on Tuesday.

After upending the taxi market with its ride-hailing service, Uber is now aiming for the skies with its flying taxis.

Flying uber in dallas