Uber says it will prove air taxi sceptics wrong

Uber is confident its autonomous flying taxis are on track to take off in Australia in 2023, as it teams up with Hyundai.

New design unveiled for Hyundai’s proposed air taxi.

Rideshare giant Uber is confident its autonomous flying taxis are on track to take off in Australia in 2023, with the company announcing South Korean giant Hyundai is on board as a key partner to build the futuristic vehicles.

Speaking to The Australian at the CES gadget show in Las Vegas, where the company is showing off a full scale model of its flying car, Uber Elevate global boss Eric Allison said Australians could soon look forward to beating traffic via autonomous flying taxis.

The company announced last year that Melbourne would be the first Australian city to trial the Uber Air vehicles, with Uber to partner with Macquarie, Telstra and Westfield owner and operator Scentre Group, and Melbourne Airport, to build out its network.

Uber is envisaging that customers will be able to travel between Melbourne's CBD and Tullamarine airport in 10 minutes, in a ride that will cost a similar amount to an Uber Black car ride.

Hyundai said at a press conference that it would invest $US1.5 billion ($2.18bn) into flying taxi technology, and it showed off the SA-1 prototype, which can reach speeds of 290km/h, and fly up to 600m high for trips of up to 100km.

The SA-1, which can seat up to four passengers with space for handbags and backpacks, will be deployed into Uber's flying taxi network alongside vehicles from other companies.

Hyundai’s proposed air taxi. Picture: Supplied

Mr Allison said he understood scepticism that the autonomous vehicles would ever take to the skies, but he said his company was out to prove critics them wrong.

"There are always sceptics, but the only way to work with them is to acknowledge their scepticism and show that they're wrong," Mr Allison said. "So that's what we're aiming to do with everything that we're doing."

He added that each launch city, which includes Melbourne as well as Los Angeles and Dallas, would have about two dozen vehicles to begin with.

Uber’s Eric Allison, left, and Hyundai’s Jaiwon Shin announce their partnership in Las Vegas. Picture: AFP

Uber Elevate Australia boss Natalie Malligan said in a statement: “We're just over a week into 2020, and while this Hyundai partnership presents another significant advancement in our Uber Air journey, our approach has always been to be thorough, and to collaborate closely with our local stakeholders and communities.

"We are focused not just on working towards our short-term launch goals, but also in laying the necessary foundations for a network that can scale sustainably in the longer-term."

* David Swan travelled to Las Vegas as a guest of Uber.