Image: Uber
Uber is looking for an international launch city for its UberAIR aerial ridesharing program, the company announced at its second annual Uber Elevate Summit on Wednesday. Uber has issued an open call for interested governments to submit a formal Expression of Interest by July 1, 2018. From there, Uber says it will begin conversations with cities that it thinks might be a good match.
According to Uber, that match will be a city with more than 2 million people at a population density of over 2,000 people per square mile. It also wants a place that experiences issues with traffic congestion but doesn’t have much in the way of extreme weather, temperatures or elevations. Also on the list of desirable traits is a power grid capable of supporting UberAIR’s all-electric aircraft.
In the U.S., UberAIR’s has picked Dallas and Los Angeles as its launch cities. On the first day of the conference,Uber announcedthat itplansto begin commercial aerial operations in 2023. The electric-powered VTOL aircraft model to be used for the ridesharing programisstill under development. The goal is to have demonstrators in the air by 2020.
