The race for self-driving taxis at the 2020 Olympics is heating up

Companies around the world are fervently vying for first place in the race to vehicular autonomy, and now it looks like one venture has crossed the finish line. A self-driving taxi has successfully taken passengers through the busy streets of Tokyo i...

Uber and Lyft hoped ‘rainy day’ fund would relax NYC regulations

Ridesharing companies really, really don't like the thought of New York City capping their services and otherwise instituting new regulations. To that end, they recently tried a drastic measure: making a charity offer in return for concessions. Lyf...

Mercedes and Bosch will test self-driving taxis in a few months

Mercedes (or rather, its parent Daimler) and Bosch aren't far off from making their self-driving taxis a practical reality... in a manner of speaking. Bosch chief Volkmar Denner has informed Automobilwoche that the two companies will put test vehicl...

The Uber of the Air

The future of urban air taxi is closer than you think, this is according to Bell Helicopter. Imagine coasting along in the sky while masses of people are stuck in the gridlock of traffic below. This is the proposition by Bell who is showcasing their future air taxi concept at CES right now.

With a full suite of connectivity technologies such as video calling, Wi-Fi, artificial intelligence and wireless charging, passengers of Bell’s Urban Air Taxi will have the option to fully maximize their airtime. The user has the option to finish off those last minute meeting notes, video call that important someone or just bask in the magnificent surrounding view. The design Bell’s Air Taxi looks as though it’s part of a Hyperloop design entry, and it certainly has me excited. Given the taxi quality of this air travel vehicle, I wonder why Bell chose to have four forward facing chairs and not give the back row their own control panel in the rear and face the back row towards the rear. Design choices aside, Bell’s Air Taxi is sure to be swamped at CES, be sure to check them out!

Designer: Bell Helicopter

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Nissan will test its self-driving taxi service in Japan next year

Nissan wants to have its fully-automated ride service on the road in Japan by the early 2020s. The plan is to start with a "public field test" for the Easy Ride service in Yokohama. Nissan has partnered with technology company DeNa for the venture, a...