A Japanese startup called SkyDrive Inc. has begun conducting test flights of their prototype flying car with a human pilot.

 

日本一家名为“天空驾驶”的初创公司已开始对其飞行汽车原型进行试飞，试飞时有一名驾驶员在车内。
 

 

The company hopes to be able to make a full public demonstration¹ of the vehicle later this summer.

 

The test flights are being conducted at a protected indoor facility at the company's research flight center outside of Nagoya.

 

There have been a number of previous test flights, but they were all conducted via remote control and no human pilot on-board.

 

According to a report in The Asahi Shimbun, SkyDrive says the car could be ready for a limited retail² release as early as 2023, and mass production by 2026.

 

SkyDrive was founded by former engineers from Toyota and they intend their vehicle to be 'the world's smallest flying car.

 

In 2017, Toyota gave the company an infusion³ of around $350,000 to help develop flying vehicles.

 

The company said it won't say more about how the test flights have been proceeding⁴ so far, but says things are going well enough to continue making them.

点击收听单词发音