Joining companies such as EHang, Airbus, Uber and Volocopter, Passenger Drone has entered the flying taxi race.

Passenger Drone launched last week with a test flight with passengers. The aircraft is slightly larger than a small car and composed of specially created carbon fibre composites. The avionics, stability systems and electrical control systems have also been custom-designed for the vehicle.

Using a touch-screen, passengers select their destination and sit back as the drone takes over, with the ability to travel up to 80 km/h. It has 16 electric engines and, according to Passenger Drone, is a low noise, high speed and economical mean of transportation which emits zero emissions.

The company says: “Its engine system sheds the complexity of most quad-copters providing enhanced safety, performance, greater payload and range, and less noise than anything else available on the marketplace.”

It adds: “Over time, VTOLs have the potential to become the go-to form of daily transportation surpassing that of owning a car. Air travel has historically been seen as an expensive proposition, due in great part to the small volume of production seen in today’s aerospace industry. Mass production of the Passenger Drone could potentially revolutionize traditional notions of transport.”