In the future, you could hop on a bus and find yourself on the other side of town in less time than it takes you to read this article now. And without going on the street, but in the air. It's the promise of Kelekona, the bold New York startup that wants to redefine the boundaries of urban transportation.
In the face of the flying car, a bus could succeed in urban transport by air
When we thought about the future, we often imagined flying cars hurtling between skyscrapers, a bit like in Blade Runner and others. Yet we are in 2024, and instead of flying cars for the single late employee, we have something that could make those who hate public transport turn up their noses: a flying bus. Yes, you read that right, a bus that flies. We talked about it here too., but in the midst of Covid the resonance was very limited.
And not just any bus: a vehicle capable of carrying 40 passengers, or (if you prefer) 10.000 pounds of load which, for those who missed the conversion lessons, is approximately 4540 kg.
An ambitious project that challenges the conventions of urban transport
Kelekona it does not limit itself to proposing an alternative to public land transport; directly challenges the laws of physics with a design that makes the shape of a coffee bean look like a minimalist work of art. I look at the mockups of this bus and see a wide, plump, teardrop-shaped body seen in profile that is not only capable of lifting 40 souls (and the pilot, let's not forget) but also promises to travel between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Or between Paris and Marseille, or between Rome and Milan.
And do it faster than it takes to watch an episode of your favorite TV series. Urban and extra-urban transport completely disrupted.
Advanced technology for superior performance
And how would this stuff get off the ground? Thanks to four pairs of large ducted fans with variable pitch blades. Imagine the noise: not exactly the quiet of a bookstore, but who cares about quiet when you can fly from one end of California to the other in an hour?
Besides, who needs large, bulky wings when you have a shape that, alone, provides enough reach for efficient forward flight? Apparently, no one told Kelekona that sometimes size matters; or maybe they did, and they simply decided to ignore the advice.
Flying bus, not just aerodynamics
The innovation proposed by the American startup does not stop at the aerodynamic aspect alone. The real game changer might be the swappable battery pack. Swap batteries, gentlemen. Instead of waiting hours for a charge, the plan is to swap the entire floor of the bus for one that's charged and ready to go.
A bit like changing the batteries in your remote control, but with a few more complications.
A flying bus called desire
While most of us are content to dream about the future, Kelekona says she is already there, building it. With such a bold idea, Kelekona's flying bus could very well take off in the true sense of the word, changing the way we think about urban transportation and perhaps even the travel concept.
Considering the past, I'm really starting to consider this undertaking titanic, but I know that one day such a thing will exist. The feeling is that we are getting there at a snail's pace, but that we are not stopped. One day someone will tell their grandchildren about the time when you had to drive on congested roads to get from point A to point B, and they will wonder in disbelief how anyone could survive such barbaric times.
Don't ask me when, though.
