Audi, Airbus air-taxi to test in Ingolstadt

Audi (Ingolstadt, Germany) announced June 20 that a letter of intent has been signed with partners from the fields of politics and industry regarding air-taxi test operation in the Ingolstadt region. The goal of the joint EU project, known as the Urban Air Mobility project, is to be a model for air-taxi test operation in the Ingolstadt region.

At the Geneva Motor Show in March, Audi, the Audi subsidiary Italdesign (Moncalieri, Italy) and Airbus (Toulouse, France) presented Pop.Up Next, an all-electric, fully automated concept for horizontal and vertical mobility. The vehicle features a carbon fiber passenger pod that docks with wheels for ground transport and a quadcopter when it takes to the skies. 

Bram Schot, interim CEO at Audi says,

“Connected, electric and autonomous cars will make urban traffic more comfortable and cleaner and will save space – that means better quality of life for people in cities. This is where mobility in the third dimension can make a valuable contribution in the future. We welcome the involvement of the city of Ingolstadt and support the development of the region as a test field for air taxis. We would like to use our know-how to improve urban life, and aim to develop new mobility concepts for cities and people’s various needs with the Urban Air Mobility project.”

The Urban Air Mobility project is part of an EU initiative in the context of the marketplace for the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) on Smart Cities and Communities (SCC). The manifesto describes the first phase of the EU initiative, in which other European cities such as Hamburg and Geneva are participating.