Shaped like a flying saucer, it looks more like a UFO than your next Uber.
But this sci-fi style vehicle is in fact the latest in line of electric aircraft set to take to the skies over the next decade.
The fully autonomous ‘Invo Moon’ offers up to three passengers a 360-degree panorama above and below as it travels at speeds of up to 250mph.
Crucially, it has been designed to be near silent, using a flight system hidden inside its shell rather than relying on noisy exposed propellers like many of its competitors.
The £280,000 aircraft – which is the same size and weight of a small family car – will be able to move in any direction, similar to a handheld drone.
Inventor Leo Kayali, a former Tesla engineer, told the Daily Mail the design was inspired by the drawings of Leonardo Da Vinci over five centuries ago.
The aim is to have it certified by the US aviation authority by 2027 and to launch in ‘all major cities including London’ by the end of the decade.
He said future owners could even have it running as an Uber while they weren’t using it and ‘make money while sitting at home’.
UFO-like electric flying vehicle that could be your next Uber, based on Da Vinci drawings from the 1480s
The fully autonomous ‘Invo Moon’ offers up to three passengers a 360-degree panorama above and below as it travels at speeds of up to 250mph
The government last year announced it expected flying taxis to be ‘routinely’ whizzing around British skies by 2028 – and potentially operating without a pilot by 2030.
Ministers set out ambitious plans to overhaul current regulations and infrastructure, with the technology expected to boost the UK by £45bn by the end of the decade.
The Invo Moon – which is 16ft in diameter and weighs 2,500lb and – can be pre-ordered for £2,000 and will ultimately cost around £280,000 on delivery.
However Mr Kayali believes the vehicles – which he said should be cheap to build when mass produced – could be sold for under £50,000 in the future.
While most electric flying vehicles rely on exposed propellors, the Invo Moon keeps everything within the aluminium frame.
The vehicle uses a complex new aerodynamic design in which a dozen motors, all containing spinning spheres, are positioned in a circle around the side of the vehicle.
Using these motors in groups of four at a time, it can move in any direction 360 degrees, meaning it has no front or back. To land, it extends three retractable legs.
Mr Kayali said this means there is very little vibration, so the machine will emit no more than 45 decibels as it travels – about as noisy as the patter of light rain.
The £280,000 aircraft – which is the same size and weight of a small family car – will be able to move in any direction. Pictured: Cover of the 1956 Sci-Fi movie, Earth vs the Flying Saucers
Inventor Leo Kayali, a former Tesla engineer, told the Daily Mail the design was inspired by the drawings of Leonardo Da Vinci over five centuries ago
Most other eVTOLs run at about 85 decibels, equivalent to the sound of a blender, and also create a lot of unnecessary excess wind, he said.
Inside the cabin, there are three rotating and fully reclinable heated seats which offer views out the top and the bottom through the plexiglass windows.
The “luxury” vehicle will also feature mood lighting, an ice machine, and smart TVs.
It has a range up to 300 miles, and takes no more than 30 minutes to charge from 20 per cent to 80 per cent, Mr Kayali claims.
While the design might seem futuristic, it is in fact based on concepts first invented by Da Vinci in the 1480s.
The exterior is inspired by the Italian artist’s ‘Armoured Car’ drawings, while the internal flying mechanism is a new interpretation of his ‘aerial screw’ design, considered a precursor of the helicopter.
The driving itself is autonomous and has been designed to follow a three-lane system similar to a motorway – but rising vertically.
The speed limit increases as each level goes up – from 100mph to 250mph – and it can only land once it is back in the slowest lane.
