Courtesy NEC

The future is finally here: the world’s first ‘flying car’ has made its first successful flight in Tokyo on 5 August.

Japan’s NEC Corporation designed the airborne vehicle, which looks less Fith Element and more like a cross between a drone and a golf-buggy with wings. Evtol – which stands for ‘electric vehicle takeoff and landing’ – is intended to courier goods and runs on batteries. It features four horizontally mounted propellers and three wheels

The unmanned aircraft hovered 9.8 feet in the air for one minute before touching down gently at NEC’s testing ground on its maiden voyage.

Other companies are also looking to get in on the flying car game. Uber announced plans to launch ‘flying taxis’ in 2020 while the Japanese government has vowed to launch unmanned aerial couriers by 2023.

[h/t VICE, Japan Times]

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