CES 2020: Hyundai and Uber team up to build flying cars that can hit 180mph and travel 60 miles

HYUNDAI has partnered up with Uber to build a fleet of self-driving flying taxis that will one day cruise above skyscrapers.

The two companies plan to have the autonomous vehicles up and running by 2023.

Hyundai unveiled a full-scale model aircraft at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week.

Named the S-A1, the driverless vehicle aims to reduce congestion in major cities by taking commuters to the sky.

The helicopter-like taxis are designed to hit speeds of up to 180 miles per hour and can take trips of up to 60 miles.

According to Hyundai, the aircraft will be capable of vertical take offs and landings.

The five-person taxis will also be fully-electric and can be recharged in just five minutes during peak traffic.

In a joint statement, the two companies said: “Hyundai will produce and deploy the air vehicles, and Uber will provide airspace support services, connections to ground transportation, and customer interfaces through an aerial ride share network.”

Uber recently announced Melbourne, Dallas and Los Angeles as the first cities to offer Uber Air Flights, with commercial operations starting in 2023.

While the flying taxis have gained plenty of interest, Hyundai has yet to conduct any test flights or announce how much they will cost.

It’s not the first time an automaker has attempted to build an aircraft.

The announcement comes after Porsche and Boeing revealed they had teamed up to build luxury flying cars.

Japanese firm NEC Group also started testing its airborne taxis last year.