Uber earmarks $24 million for the research centre in Paris

Ride-hailing app Uber announced yesterday (May 25) it will spend $24 million over the next five years to develop technology for its flying taxi.

Uber said it would open a new Advanced Technology Center in Paris, with a focus on AI and its UberElevate program.

This centre will be its first outside North America, with planning to open this year where will require an investment capital of 20 million euro or approximately $24 million in five years.

Since 2016, Uber revealed its plan to offer what it called the flying taxi, with expecting to launch by 2023.

The ride-hailing company also announced a 5-year research partnership with École Polytechnique, a leading engineering school based in Palaiseau, a suburb southwest of Paris.

Their initial projects will focus on artificial intelligence (AI), airspace management system to support uberAIR at scale, which will be vital in achieving our goal of demonstration flights in Dallas, Los Angeles, and a third international city by 2020, according to its statement.

“Building the future of our cities will require the best and brightest minds working together,” Uber’s CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, said in a statement.

“With world-class engineers and a leading role in global aviation, France is the perfect place to advance our Uber Elevate program and new technology initiatives.”

Earlier this month, Uber has also agreed to work with NASA to explore the impact of flying taxi operations in urban environments.

Uber has also laid-out its plan and also showed its electric vertical takeoff and landing (EVTOL) concept, a flying car for its future urban aviation ride-hailing network.

Known internally as the eCRM-003, the EVTOL common reference model looks a bit like a cross between a massive drone and a small aeroplane.

Uber expects an average mission length of about 25 miles with a 5-minute recharge between trips keeping the EVTOL running for about 3 hours of continuous operation during peak rush hours.

The design is built around the passenger compartment, featuring space for up to four passengers with their personal bags or backpacks. The spec has been penned to make boarding and to deplane easy with the design keeping the rotors and wings up and as far away from passengers as possible.

Early EVTOLs will be piloted by a human, but the ultimate goal is for these vehicles to become autonomous.