Japan Successfully Tests A Flying Car

No, this isn’t a scene from Back to the Future. What you’re seeing above is footage from Japan’s first successful test of a flying car.

No Marty McFly present, just a group of engineers, journalists, and curious onlookers. On August 25, Japanese company Sky Drive Inc. successfully launched its version of the flying car for the public to see.

Taking place at the Toyota Test Field in the city of Toyota, the flying car circled around in the air for approximately 4 minutes. Called the SD-03, the flying car was manned by a driver (or pilot?) and astonished journalists, Toyota engineers, and casual spectators alike.

Sky Drive, Inc. is hoping that the publicity from this public and successful test drive (or flight?) of the their flying car will peak the interest of potential consumers who may be able to see that flying cars are not just a sci-fi gimmick, but a real potential transformation for the personal transportation industry. The SD-03 is the size of about two cars and has eight motors for safety purposes.

The success of this initial test means that the company is now looking into conducting more tests in various weather and circumstantial conditions to ensure the vehicle meets industry standards. Sky Drive, Inc. hopes to release the flying car on the market in 2023, although no price has been posted.

While this was the first successful public test of a flying car in Japan, the SD-03 is not alone in the number of prototypes and models of flying cars that have been developed by other companies. In what has become somewhat of a race to the moon, both established companies and startups are competing to be the first company to place an flying car on the market.

Other companies investing in vertical driving technology include German company Daimler, Chinese/US collaboration Terrafugia, Aston Martin, and Porsche. Perhaps Back to the Future’s Dr. Emmet Brown was onto something when he famously said, “Where we’re going, we don’t need roads!”