Flying Ubers Are Approaching Liftoff, Says Engineer of Airspace Unit
*By Carlo Versano*
Flying taxis are closer to liftoff than you might think.
Uber made headlines in 2017 by unveiling renderings of what it said would be a fleet of fully electric, VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) aircraft that would shuttle people around in the skies above cities as soon as 2023. At CES in Las Vegas, this week, a full-scale model of one flying taxi concept manufactured by Uber partner Bell was on display, and Uber wants consumers to know it's getting serious about taking to the air.
Dr. Tom Prevot, a former NASA aerospace engineer who now runs the engineering division at Elevate, Uber's airspace unit, told Cheddar's Hope King that the nascent industry is reaching a point at which "a lot of things come together." Batteries that would be able to power these aircraft are in development, the turbine engines and fan rotors are quieter than ever, and the regulatory environment is beginning to come into focus, Prevot said.
"This convergence will probably allow us to make this happen in a few years," he said.
Since the aircraft will fly to and from fixed infrastructure ー like the roof of a parking garage ー as opposed to being able to take off or land anywhere, there are fewer logistical and regulatory hurdles, Prevot said. And because the altitude at which these things would fly, up to 2,000 feet, is a blank canvas relative to city roads, companies like Uber can work with governments to create "virtual highways" that can be adjusted to suit demand.
Prevot put it succinctly: "There's a lot more space in the air."
Uber and Bell announced at CES that test flights would begin next year in three cities: Dallas, Tex., Los Angeles, Calif., and an unnamed international city, while plans for piloted rides are on pace for 2023. Prevot said that while they may test flights in rural areas, the optimal use case is for crowded urban areas where congestion is already a problem ー hence the choices of L.A. and Dallas as pilot locations.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/uber-keeps-eyes-on-the-sky-with-flying-ride-plans).
Nvidia on Wednesday became the first public company to reach a market capitalization of $5 trillion. The ravenous appetite for the Silicon Valley company’s chips is the main reason that the company’s stock price has increased so rapidly since early 2023.
Chris Williamson, Chief Business Economist at S&P Global, breaks down September’s CPI print and inflation trends, explaining what it means for markets.
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people — including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures — has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of sports betting in the U.S. The multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy for sports fans — and even some players — to wager on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone. But regulating the rapidly-growing industry has proven to be a challenge. Professional sports leagues’ own role in promoting gambling has also raised eyebrows.
