Rolls-Royce Looking For Flying Taxi Partners

Rolls-Royce is in the process of making a propulsion system for a flying taxi and is now looking for a potential partner to help it create a service that will be in the skies in as soon as early next decade.

Reuters, citing Rolls-Royce, reported the company said it created the plans for an electrical vertical take-off and landing vehicle that could transport four to five people with the speeds reaching up to 250 miles per hour for about 500 miles.  Rolls-Royce isn’t the only one making systems for flying taxis. According to Reuters, so are Airbus, Uber and a host of startups including one that has the backing of Larry Page, the Google co-founder. The Rolls-Royce design will be on display at the Farnborough Airshow which kicked off Monday (July 16), reported Reuters. It’s looking for an airframer and another partner that can provide parts of the electrical system to help bring it to commercial market.

“The initial concept vehicle uses gas turbine technology to generate electricity to power six electric propulsors specially designed to have a low noise profile,” the company said in a statement. The report noted its design won’t require recharging and that it can use existing infrastructures like heliports and airports.

In late May Lyft announced it was introducing luxury black cars in five major cities in an attempt to compete for Uber’s high-end clientele. According to a Bloomberg Technology report at the time, the new offerings, called Lyft Lux and Lyft Lux SUV, will launch in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and San Jose before expanding to 20 cities this summer. Customers will be able to book a Tesla, BMW, Rolls-Royce or another premium ride, which are flashier than the cars offered on the company’s existing high-end service, Premier, which will still be offered.