ROMA – The future could be much closer than we thought, and it is enough to listen to the ninth episode of the podcast put online by Hyundai to understand why. The title already says a lot – How we’re making urban air mobility a reality, how we’re making urban air mobility a reality – but the words of Pamela Cohn, Global Chief Operating Officer of the Korean giant’s Urban Air Mobility division, say a lot about more. Flying over urban traffic is a dream that could become reality as early as 2028. Cohn talks about travel within a system called UAM, or Urban Air Mobility. For example, from home or office to a sort of parking lot for air taxis, and then soar to another hub that is as close as possible to the final destination. In essence, the flight should take place in various stages, for initial safety reasons.
“It is not the flight segment but rather the innovative technology behind air mobility that will make it sustainable, clean and quiet,” explains Pamela Cohn. “Sustainability is one of the cornerstones of what we are doing right now in the UAM division. So, looking at the aircraft we will develop, they will be zero-emission, battery-powered aircraft. This is what we foresee with our electric vertical take-off and landing projects or, in the future, hydrogen-powered ”.
Urban Air Mobility will not be the same everywhere, but will look different in different markets around the world, also depending on the traffic and alternative technologies available. From decongesting the very slow Tokyo traffic to simplifying daily journeys in Los Angeles or facing urban sprawl in Berlin or Paris ”.
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