Japan Takes Cars to New Heights

The future of travel may be coming — and sooner than you think! On Aug. 25, the first flying car was successfully tested by SkyDrive Inc., a Japanese company that develops urban air mobility solutions, at a Toyota Test Field in Japan, according to a press release on SkyDrive’s website.

The public demonstration flight lasted a total of four minutes, as the SD-03 flying car model — which measures two meters high, four meters wide and four meters long, and takes up as much ground as two parked cars — circled the 10,000-square-meter (approximately 2.5-acre) field with a pilot at the wheel.

“We are extremely excited to have achieved Japan’s first-ever manned flight of a flying car in the two years since we founded SkyDrive in 2018 with the goal of commercializing such aircraft,” SkyDrive CEO, Tomohiro Fukuzawa, said in a statement. “We aim to take our social experiment to the next level in 2023 and to that end we will be accelerating our technological development and our business development,” Fukuzawa added. “We want to realize a society where flying cars are an accessible and convenient means of transportation in the skies and people are able to experience a safe, secure, and comfortable new way of life.”

According to SkyDrive, the pearl white aircraft was “designed to be the world’s smallest electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) model as a new means of transportation for the near future.”Though the pilot was at the controls and technical staff at the field helped monitor flight conditions and aircraft performance, SkyDrive said the aircraft was also operated by a computer-assisted control system that “helped ensure flight stability and safety.”

https://www.youtube.com/embed/xA9ah0zf9MQ

The model features a total of eight electric motors in four locations to “ensure safety in emergency situations” and “to address compliance standards and allay potential regulatory concerns,” the company explained. It also includes a pair of propellers and two white lights in front, as well as a red light on the bottom of the body — features that are unique to flying cars and designed to act as indicators for which way the vehicle is traveling while floating in the sky.

“In designing an unexplored, new genre of transportation known as the flying car, we chose the keyword ‘progressive’ for inspiration,” explained SkyDrive design director, Takumi Yamamot. “We wanted this vehicle to be futuristic, charismatic and desirable for all future customers, while fully incorporating the high technology of SkyDrive.”

According to the press release, the company plans on continuing test flights under various conditions to make sure they meet safety and technology standards. They are aiming to obtain approval for flights outside of the Toyota Test Field before the end of 2020, and hope to launch the flying car by 2023, though no price has been announced yet. “SkyDrive’s flying car has been designed to be a coupe embodying dreams and exuding charisma, such that it will be welcomed into people’s lives and used naturally,” the company wrote in the press release.

“The company hopes that its aircraft will become people’s partner in the sky rather than merely a commodity and it will continue working to design a safe sky for the future as a partner in the sky,” they added.

(Source – People, Pic – World debut SkyDrive Manned Flight by SD-03 / “Sky Drive Inc.“)

Related Articles

General
Information, News
In an effort to spur the development of vital industries like semiconductors, storage batteries, and biotechnology, the Japanese government is poised to relax land use regulations, as per Nikkei's report. This strategic maneuver is aimed at mitigating the challenges posed by land shortages, which have been particularly pressing in the semiconductor sector, potentially impeding critical factory investments.
Investors/Business, General
Information
When renting out property in Japan, understanding tenant preferences can make all the difference between a vacant listing and a highly sought-after unit. While universal factors like location and price play a role, the Japanese rental market has unique nuances that every property owner should consider. These details significantly influence tenant decisions, from security features like double-door entry systems to the appeal of higher floors for both safety and privacy.
General
Information, News
Many Japanese abodes in 2021 are returning to the roots of traditional residences and adding an earthen floor entryway or incorporating modern variants of the space. Japanese homes already have a small "genkan" entrance area for people to store their shoes before going inside. Now, more apartment buyers are asking for a larger “doma” traditional earthen-floored space, in which they can walk around while wearing footwear and store items for outdoor use. The demand for doma appears to be related to the boom in people engaging in more outdoor leisure activities amid the COVID-19 pandemic and increased consumer desire to maintain cleanliness in the home by separating spaces.
General, Holiday/Home Makers
Information
So you’re ready to buy your first property in Japan? Or maybe you’ve already been down that rabbit hole and are wondering if you’ve done something wrong? One commonly overlooked concept in purchasing real estate around the world is due diligence. By definition, due diligence in terms of real estate is care taken by research and analysis of a property and its affiliations in preparation for a transaction. One of the quirks about the Japanese real estate market, however, is that the due diligence is only conducted once your offer is accepted.