Russian Company Ready To Start Producing Hover Taxis In Late 2021

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th January, 2021) Russian technology start-up Hover said on Monday it would launch production of hovercraft taxis this year, once initial tests prove successful, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

Earlier in the day, the company began testing its prototype at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium. It is said to be capable of bringing two passengers and cargo for a distance of up to 62 miles at an altitude of up to 93 miles, at a maximum speed of 124 miles per hour. The air-taxi will rely on its autopilot digital system with passengers seating in a shock-absorbing capsule that will offer protection in case of an accident.

The company is currently aiming to determine the possibility of flights over Moscow and also plans to test the hover taxi using the high-speed 5G network, developed by Russia's National Technology Initiative (NTI) at the Skolkovo Innovation Center, this September. If all the tests are successful, the prototype will go into production by the end of this year.

The first hover taxis will first be rolled out in Russian regions with Moscow� following suit around 2023. The developer expects the costs of a flight to be 20 rubles per kilometer or $0.27 per 0.6 miles.