Larry Page Is Quietly Amassing A ‘Flying Car’ Empire

From The Verge. Jult 19:

Google co-founder revealed to locomote possessor of Opener, a Canadian startup that exactly came out of stealth

One flying auto seems absurd; Larry Page has three.

He started alongside flying taxi, together with thence added a sporty flying boat called Flyer, both developed yesteryear a companionship called Kitty Hawk. And concluding week, The Verge discovered a third: Opener, which exactly came out of stealth mode. There was no rear of the Google co-founder inward the startup’s announcement, but when confronted alongside show of Page’s involvement, Opener rapidly issued a press release admitting it.

Flying cars (more formally known equally eVTOLs — for electrical vertical takeoff together with landing) are the electrical scooters of aviation. Everyone from Uber to Airbus is working to ready the lightweight aircraft together with the aerial networks they volition require, to enjoin nada of a host of well-funded startups, including Joby inward the US, Volocopter inward Germany, together with China’s EHang.

Kitty Hawk together with Opener are based exactly a few buildings away from each other inward Palo Alto, California, but get got close no contact. In fact, their CEOs get got to compete for Page’s attending together with funding, according to multiple sources some the companies.

Workers at Kitty Hawk together with Opener don’t know whether Page is exactly hedging his bets alongside multiple aircraft, or embarking on a bold elbow grease to corner the marketplace for flying cars equally it emerges. The argue for multiple companies may locomote fifty-fifty to a greater extent than prosaic: the leaders of each projection reportedly can’t stand upwardly each other. Regardless, Page at 1 time controls 3 of the world’s most advanced flying auto projects, ahead of rivals similar Joby, Uber, together with aerospace giant Airbus, whose vehicles stay largely experimental.

Page’s interest inward the champaign started alongside a pocket-size companionship called Levt Inc, founded inward 2010 yesteryear Stanford aeronautics professor Ilan Kroo. Kroo was 1 of the kickoff to realize that advances inward lightweight airframe materials, estimator control, together with electrical batteries together with motors could enable pocket-size self-flying electrical aircraft. 

Here’s the pitch: air taxis would locomote much quieter, together with theoretically much safer, than traditional helicopters. What’s more, they could get got off (and nation in) from smaller spots, such equally domestic driveways or parking garages. Supporters enjoin that flying taxis could salve congestion on crowded metropolis roads, though the run a endangerment anyone nether them faces is nevertheless unknown....MUCH MORE