Technology

Posted on May 25, 2018 by staff

Uber invests £17m to get flying taxis off ground in Paris

Technology

Uber has announced that it will open a new €20m site in Paris to develop its aviation offering.

The site will be the first outside the US for the company. Uber’s move to Paris will allow it to work with European aviation regulators, such as the European Aviation Safety Agency.

The Advanced Technologies Center Paris (ATCP), as it will be known, will begin to work with building artificial intelligence and airspace management systems to support uberAIR at scale.

“We’ve realized that to create efficient cities with less congestion and cleaner air, we also need to look to the sky,” said Eric Allison, Uber’s Head of Aviation Programs.

“To do this we launched our Elevate program in 2016 to build a network of all-electric, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft powered by distributed electric propulsion.”

The company is aiming to demonstrate flights in Dallas, Los Angeles, and a third, international city by 2020.

The centre will open in autumn in and will include a partnership with French polytechnic École Polytechnique, which offers education in mathematics, science and mechanics.

“Today we’re committing to a new Advanced Technologies Center which will initially focus on Uber Elevate,” said Allison.

“France is a perfect home for our next step forward with its strong history of research and development, world-class engineers and a unique role in aviation worldwide.”