DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Dubai hopes to have a passenger-carrying drone regularly buzzing through the skyline of the futuristic city-state in July.
The arrival of the Chinese-made EHang 184 -- which already has had its flying debut over Dubai's sail-shaped Burj al-Arab skyscraper hotel -- comes as the United Arab Emirates city also has partnered with other cutting-edge technology companies, including Hyperloop One.
The question is whether the egg-shaped, four-legged craft will really take off as a transportation alternative in the car-clogged city that's already home to the world's longest driverless metro line.
Mattar al-Tayer, the head of Dubai's Roads and Transportation Agency, announced plans last week at the World Government Summit for regular flights of the craft. Before his remarks, most treated the four-legged, eight-propeller craft as just another curiosity at an event that views itself as a desert Davos, the Switzerland economic forum.
"This is not only a model," al-Tayer said. "We have actually experimented with this vehicle flying in Dubai's skies."
The craft can carry a passenger weighing up to220 pounds and a small suitcase. After buckling into its race-car-style seat, the craft's sole passenger selects a destination on a touch-screen pad in front of the seat and the drone flies there automatically.
The drone, which has a battery allowing for a half-hour flight time and a range of up to 31 miles, will be monitored remotely by a control room on the ground. It has a top speed of 100 mph, but authorities say it will be operated typically at 62 mph.
Al-Tayer said the drone would begin regular operations in July. He did not elaborate.
The Road and Transportation Agency later issued a statement saying the drone had been examined by the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and was controlled through 4G mobile Internet. The agency did not immediately respond to further questions from The Associated Press.
The United Arab Emirates already requires drone hobbyists to register their aircraft. However, drone intrusions at Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest for international travel, has seen it shut down for hours at a time in recent months.
EHang did not respond to a request for comment. In May, authorities in Nevada announced that they would partner with EHang to test the 184 to possibly be cleared by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The drone may be a technology curiosity for now but Dubai -- the commercial capital of the oil-rich United Arab Emirates and home to the long-haul carrier Emirates -- has bold visions for the future and the 184 fits right into its plans.
Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, announced in April that he wanted 25 percent of all passenger trips in the city to be done by driverless vehicles in 2030. To that end, Dubai already has had the box-shaped driverless EZ10, built by France's EasyMile, cruise the nearby Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building.
In October, Dubai signed a deal with Hyperloop One of Los Angeles to study the potential for building a hyperloop line between it and Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates capital.
A hyperloop has levitating pods powered by electricity and magnetism that hurtle through low-friction pipes at a top speed of 760 mph. Elon Musk, the co-founder of Tesla who appeared at the Dubai conference, first proposed the idea of a hyperloop in 2013.
Musk, who took no questions from reporters, later introduced his Tesla car brand in Dubai at an event organizers said was not open to international media.
SundayMonday Business on 02/20/2017