Italdesign Airbus Pop Up Concept

Italdesign and Airbus are partnering on the Pop Up concept at the Geneva Motor Show as a way to create a single vehicle that could transition between the road, rail, and air depending on the best way of getting to a person’s destination. The companies imagine the high-tech pods would relieve traffic congestion and reduce emissions in cities of the future. The transportation companies imagine a door-to-door transportation service. A user would select a destination from an app. The software would calculate the best way to get someone there whether it’s across town or on the other side of the country. For short-distance journeys, the pod would sit on an autonomous electric chassis with a range up to 81 miles (130 kilometers). For longer journeys or to avoid traffic congestion, a flying drone would pick up the capsule and carry it to the destination. Airbus and Italdesign’s video also shows the vehicles loading onto trains for the journey, and the companies even suggest hauling them by hyperloop. There’d no indication that these firms are actually planning to implement a vehicle like the Pop Up, but it’s a fascinating idea. In a perfect world, this system could make traveling much easier and would means much more convenient flights. However, the real-world hurdles to the Pop Up seem insurmountable given current technology. Truly driverless vehicles still aren’t possible with consumer-grade systems, and they don’t look to be ready for several more years. Plus, if people have...