Maybe all those ‘flying car’ dreamers and visionaries were just too smart – by half.

What if a self-piloted EV road module was left behind when your drone-copter arrives?  That self-driving EV skateboard could drive itself home or to meet you later at the office.  Meanwhile, your transport pod will be under the eight counter-rotating blades of the quad-copter above you?

Pretty intense in how real this fantasy traffic-avoider feels.  Thrilled to have the big brains of Giugiaro and Airbus working together to flesh out the idea.

Here is a crude animation of how this will work.

The insight is rock solid: three innovations are coming to maturity in a few years at the same time.  Each a game-changer:

— long-range EVs

— self-driving cars

— heavy-lift UAV quadcopters

The Pop.Up is impressively finished as an engineering exercise.  60-mile range for the drone, and a max (unladen) flying speed of 60-mph as well.  Just two passengers inside the Capsule, which is designed with an external safety cell, a la the Smartcar, to improve safety in action.  The issue with this first iteration is an airspeed, once laden with the passenger box, drops drastically.  A top end of perhaps 20-mph might need improvement to beat rush-hour.

Most enticing of all?  The ground and air transport modules seem ideal for the sharing economy.  So perhaps owners would just buy their own passenger capsule?  Universal mounts for the upper and lower sections might even make these future-compatible with even faster, longer-range air/ground module upgrades of the future.

Cleverly, the Pop.Up’s road module is able to share its larger battery’s juice with the pod and drone above.

Next horizon after all these technologies converge?  Airbags on the floor.. in case your drone’s claws get slippery?  Check out the gallery and tech specs of each module below.

 

2017 ItalDesign x Airbus Pop.Up

POP.UP TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION

 

AIR MODULE

 

DIMENSIONS
	Length		mm.	4403
	Height		mm.	847
	Width		mm.	5000
	Rotors		n.	4+4
	Propeller diameter		mm.	1780

 

POWERTRAIN
	Power train		Electric
	Motors		8
	Total power		136 kW
	Motor power (each motor) (MCP)		17 kW
	Range (without payload)		100  km
	Charging time		15 minutes
	Empty weight ratio (EW/GW)		43.90 %
	Total battery(ies) energy / capacity		70.0 kWh
	Disc Loading		30.4 kg/m2
	Tip Speed		150 m/s
Air Mode	Number of passengers		2
	Vehicle maximum gross weight		600 kg

 

PERFORMANCE

Top Speed (stand-alone module)

100 km/h

 

                 

GROUND MODULE

 

DIMENSIONS
	Length	Mm	3115
	Height	Mm	681
	Width (front/rear)	Mm	1848/ 1900
	Front overhang	Mm	581
	Rear overhang	Mm	534
	Kerb weight	Kg	200

 

PERFORMANCE

Top speed

km/h

100

 

POWERTRAIN
	Powertrain	Electric
	Motorwheels	2 (Rear)
	Total Power	60 kW
	Range	130 km
	Charging time	15  Minutes
	Total battery(ies) energy / capacity	15 kWh

 

CAPSULE

 

DIMENSIONS
	Length	mm	2647
	Height	mm	1415
	Width	mm	1540
	Number of Passenger		2
	Kerb weight	kg	200