Airbus has released photos showing the interior of its Alpha Two Concept, an airborne light passenger vehicle it is developing under the Vahana Project. The company hopes to be able to use the drone as a self-piloted hover taxi.
The Alpha Two measures 6,200 millimeters (20.34 feet) long and 2,800 mm (9.2 ft.) tall with the wings spanning 5,700 mm (18.7 ft.).
As an automatically piloted aircraft, the drone is lacking any kind of controls. The passengers only have access to a touch-enabled infotainment screen that streams multimedia content along with displaying important flight information. There is only one seat.
The vehicle operates in the VTOL mode (Vertical Take-Off and Landing), so it can pick up passengers even in the most remote areas of the city. It can cover as much as 100 kilometers (62 miles) on a single charge.
Airbus conducted a flight test with a pair of Alpha Twos in 2018. The first flight lasted approximately one minute and involved the drones rising to 5 m (16 ft.).
Market launch is planned for 2020.
Photos: vahana.aero