The UK is about to have the world's first airport for electric flying vehicles

The concept of a flying car isn't new, of course, and while most 'cars that fly' will remain a pipedream there's definitely a movement towards future electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft that will, most likely, taxi people around or carry goods. 

Now plans have been submitted for an airport to cater for flying taxis and autonomous delivery vehicles in Coventry. Built on the site of a former car park near the Ricoh Arena stadium, the project has been given a £1.2 million government grant and it should be available for use later this year.

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The site, which will be known as Air-One, is being developed by Urban Air Port in collaboration with Hyundai. The site will have a 14 metre-wide landing pad but won't take up acres of room - once vehicles land they can be lowered into a facility underneath. 

The physical footprint of an Urban Air Port is 60% smaller than a traditional heliport and one can be installed in a matter of days, emit net zero carbon emissions and can be operated completely off-grid if necessary - so they can be in remote locations away from traditional electricity sources. And they can be moved if necessary so could be deployed in emergency situations for example. 

The Urban Air Mobility Division of Hyundai has chosen Urban Air Port to help with the facilities needed during the development of its own eVTOL aircraft. Hyundai plans to commercialise its aircraft by 2028.

NASA predicts that urban-air mobility in the US alone could be worth up to $500 billion USD (£375 billion) in the near-term. Urban Air Port is planning more than 200 zero-emission sites worldwide over the next five years. Of course, the key benefit is the lack of pollution from the new vehicles. 

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