General Motors are you secretly working on a Flying Car?
Sometimes you need to dig deep to find the good stuff
This was found with lots of digging - but yes indeed- General Motors did signal its intentions to enter the eVTOL air-taxi market, having unveiled a Cadillac-branded personal aircraft concept during its virtual CES showcase, GM Exhibit Zero.
The company introduced this venture with stylish renderings and animations, showcasing a sleek, battery-powered electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. This design marks GM's ambitious step into aerial mobility, featuring a four-rotor design powered by a 90-kWh battery, promising speeds up to 56 mph. However, GM has been coy about the finer details, including technical specifications, production plans, or a timeline for when we might see these aircraft take flight. The revealed concept appears to be a single-seat drone, likely aimed at autonomous urban transportation.
GM joins a growing list of automakers eyeing the air taxi domain, with FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) also recently announcing a collaboration with Archer to develop eVTOL air taxis. Other industry players like Hyundai and Aston Martin have similarly expressed interest in this emerging sector. The push towards electric personal aircraft has been bolstered by rapid technological advancements in batteries, electric motors, and cloud services, which are also driving the electric car and truck market. GM's substantial investment in its Ultium EV technology could prove advantageous in transitioning into aerial mobility.
At this stage, it remains uncertain whether GM has developed a functional eVTOL prototype or outlined the next steps for this nascent venture. The announcement leaves much to the imagination regarding how GM plans to navigate the development and commercialization of this futuristic mode of transportation.
As always, we can hope - and continue to look to the skies.