Israel is celebrating about the $15 billion buyout of its startup Mobileye to Intel for driverless cars and buses, and Dubai is making its own inroads in driverless tech – from the future. This July the city will launch a fleet of flying taxis powered by electricity. The made-in-China driverless drones — called Ehang 184 will pick up passengers this summer.
“The 184 provides a viable solution to the many challenges the transportation industry faces in a safe and energy-efficient way,” said Ehang founder and CEO Huazhi Hu.
By 2030 Dubai wants one-quarter of all its journeys made by self-driving vehicles.
“This project supports Dubai’s government’s direction to become the smartest city in the world,” said H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, director general of RTA, the Dubai transportation authority.
Passengers pick where they want to go inside the vehicle, using a smart screen. The flying drone takes care of the rest.
The name 184 stands for one person, 8 propellers, 4 arms, and the passenger drone can cruise at about 80 miles an hour. All flights will be monitored by ground control.
