2 Korean flying cars are tested by Land Ministry

Tech

Published: 23 Nov. 2022, 16:35

2 Korean flying cars are tested by Land Ministry

The V-speeder urban air mobility (UAM) vehicle is displayed at the Ara Marina conventional center in Gimpo, Gyeonggi, on Wednesday for a test flight. [NEWS1]

Two domestically-developed flying cars were test flown at an event organized by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Wednesday.

Taking off from the Gimpo Ara Marina convention center in Gyeonggi, they were in the air for short periods of time and without passengers.

The V-speeder, which weighs 130 kilograms (287 pounds) and can carry a 120-kilogram payload, was in the air for 15 minutes. It can fly as fast as 95 kilometers (59 miles) per hour.

It is manufactured by Daejeon's V Space, a maker of batteries and electric bikes.

The SKYLA-V2, which weighs 150 kilograms and can carry a payload of 70 kilograms, flew for 20 minutes. It can hit 90 kilometers per hour.

It is made by Gyeonggi's Voltline, a maker of motor parts and drones.

A vertiport — an urban air mobility (UAM) station where vehicles take off and land vertically — was set up on the roof of the convention center for the demonstration, along with temporary security gates on the first floor and related exhibits on the second floor.

The SKYLA-V2 urban air mobility (UAM) vehicle flies around the Ara Marina conventional center in Gimpo, Gyeonggi, on Wednesday during a test flight event organized by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. [YONHAP]

Mock-up vehicles were displayed from Hyundai Motor, Hanwha Systems, a Land Ministry and the Ministry of Trade Industry Energy research team, and university students.

In 2019, Hyundai Motor said it would commercialize flying cars by 2025.

Wednesday's test is the third UAM test flight held by the land ministry, but vehicles manufactured by Chinese company Ehang were used in 2020 and Germany’s Volocopter in 2021.

“UAMs will be a game-changer in urban transportation to open up a road in the sky while the roads on land get more jammed by the day,” Land Minister Won Hee-ryong said.

“The government will fulfill its role wherever it can, such as amending regulations or facilitating global cooperation, so that the new transportation methods can quickly become a reality.”

A UAM conference was held as a part of Wednesday’s event with participation of professionals from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), English aerospace manufacturer Vertical Aerospace and English vertiport company Skyports.

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]