Uber Elevation Nation

Uber Elevate is looking to lift the ride-hailing giant to the skies. I spoke with Elevate boss Eric Allison to hear more about his plans to start test flights by 2020.

Location, location, location: Allison said Elevate landed on Dallas, LA, and Melbourne, Australia, as its first three launch locations because of their respective geographies, population distribution, major airports, weather, and—of course—local regulatory environment.

Range: Uber built “a big city simulator,” factoring in battery storage constraints, ride demand, payload, and speed. Allison forecasts that the average flight will be in the ballpark of 20–25 miles. “In this new urban aviation environment, [short trips] actually work really well.”

Cost: Elevate will be cheaper than a helicopter and “come in close to Uber Black in pricing.” Allison envisions fares on a “per-seat cost basis, not per-vehicle,” because the goal is to eventually get aerial trips cost-competitive with Uber X.

Partners: Six electric vertical-and-takeoff landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturers have signed on to be part of the Elevate network. Uber’s also in talks with developers to build and deploy skyports for the network so it can “manage safety and [maintain] tight operation control.”

• Karem Aircraft, an Uber eVTOL partner, just raised a $25 million Series A.

But will anybody actually want this? When I asked Allison, he predictably said there is already real demand. Would you take Uber rides in the air? Reply and let me know.