Published

NEC, Cartivator Demo Flying Car

Japanese electronics maker NEC Corp. is partnering with Cartivator to develop an electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle they hope to commercialize by 2026.
#electronics

Share

Japanese electronics maker NEC Corp. is partnering with Cartivator, a startup created by Toyota Motor Corp. employees, to develop an electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle they hope to commercialize by 2026.

The companies demonstrated a prototype model this week near Tokyo. The tests were conducted in a highly controlled environment in which the aircraft was tethered to the ground and lifted only about 10 ft in the air. A previous generation Cartivator unit crashed during a test in 2017.

Initial applications are expected to include use as a delivery drone and as a shuttle between small islands in Japan. The prototype is about 12 ft long and weighs 360 lbs.

RELATED CONTENT

  • Magna Advances Seating Configurations

    Magna International is focusing on electrification, autonomy and smart mobility. This is taking the form of things ranging from an electrified system for rear axles (eDrive 1.0) to a collaborative arrangement with Lyft, which includes the co-development and manufacture of self-driving systems.

  • Volvo: Much Ado About Not Much

    Every Volvo launched from 2019 on will have an electric motor.

  • Honda Re-Imagines and Re-Engineers the Ridgeline

    When Honda announced the first-generation Ridgeline in 2005, it opened the press release describing the vehicle: “The Honda Ridgeline re-defines what a truck can be with its true half-ton bed payload capability, an interior similar to a full-size truck and the exterior length of a compact truck.” And all that said, people simply couldn’t get over the way there is a diagonal piece, a sail-shaped buttress, between the cab and the box.

Gardner Business Media - Strategic Business Solutions