We have lift-off: UniSC aims to deliver electric flying taxi

University of the Sunshine Coast

Commuters could be catching a taxi in the sky from the Sunshine Coast to Brisbane by 2030, if a new student project goes to plan.

Experts, industry leaders, high school and university students have joined forces at the University of the Sunshine Coast, to take their ideas for an electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle (eVTOL) sky high – and they meet in person for the first time this week.

The goal: To have it flying for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Aeronautical engineer and UniSC Special Projects Lead Tim Kelly said similar concepts were already being developed around the world, but this design featured a new approach to vertical take-off and landing.

“The concept leverages some well-understood existing platforms, and in simplified terms can be thought of as a combination between a very large quadcopter drone and a canard configuration general aviation aircraft,” Mr Kelly said.

/University Public Release. View in full here.