Boeing is teaming up with Porsche to explore the joint development of a flying car.
The two companies will work on a "premium urban" air vehicle, according to a partnership announced on Thursday. Already, the companies have begun developing concept designs for a fully electric vehicle that can take off and land vertically.
The goal is to create an actual prototype. Boeing and Porsche also plan on assembling a team to investigate the market potential for flying cars and how travelers would actually use them.
"This collaboration builds on our efforts to develop a safe and efficient new mobility ecosystem," said Steve Nordlund, general manager of Boeing NeXt, a division of the aerospace maker that's focused on paving the way for self-driving and piloted flying vehicles.
A separate Boeing subsidiary, Aurora Flight Sciences, has also been developing an actual flying car prototype, which can hover like a helicopter. In January, the electric-powered vehicle completed its first test flight. The 30-foot long craft has been designed to fly autonomously with up to a range of 50 miles.
The technology appears to have caught the attention of Porsche, the German carmaker. "Porsche is looking to enhance its scope as a sports car manufacturer by becoming a leading brand for premium mobility. In the longer term, this could mean moving into the third dimension of travel," said company executive board member Detlev von Platen in yesterday's announcement.
Porsche expects the "urban air mobility market" to take off after 2025, giving consumers a way to bypass rush hour traffic (assuming they can afford to pay for it). But the companies aren't alone in trying to design a flying car. Over the years, others such as Uber, Intel, and Google co-founder Larry Page have also showed off prototype designs on the promise of making air taxis a reality one day.