Among the government-backed endeavors is a
huge test course for flying cars that’s built in an
area devastated by the 2011 tsunami, quake and
nuclear disasters in Fukushima in northeastern
Japan. Mie, a prefecture in central Japan that’s
frequently used as a resort area by Hollywood
celebrities, also hopes to use flying cars to
connect its various islands.
Similar projects are popping up around world,
such as Uber Air of the U.S.
A flying car by Japanese startup Cartivator
crashed quickly in a 2017 demonstration.
Cartivator Chief Executive Tomohiro Fukuzawa,
who was at this week demonstration, said their
machines were also flying longer lately.
NEC is among the more than 80 sponsor
companies for Cartivator’s flying car, which
also include Toyota Motor Corp. group
companies and video game company Bandai
Namco Holdings.
The goal is to deliver a seamless transition from
driving to flight like the world of “Back to the
Future,” although huge hurdles remain such
as battery life, the need for regulations and
safety concerns.
NEC officials said their flying car was
designed for unmanned flights for deliveries
but utilized the company’s technology in
its other operations such as space travel
and cybersecurity.
Often called EVtol, for “electric vertical takeoff
and landing” aircraft, a flying car is defined as
an aircraft that’s electric, or hybrid electric,
with driverless capabilities, that can land and
takeoff vertically.