飛行汽車即將成真 日本公司進行原型測試

“開飛車”將不再是科幻小說中的情節。日本一家初創公司近日對其飛行汽車原型進行了試飛，與之前的無人駕駛遙控試飛不同的是，這次試飛有人駕駛。

A Japanese startup called SkyDrive Inc. has begun conducting test flights of their prototype flying car with a human pilot.

日本一家名爲“天空駕駛”的初創公司已開始對其飛行汽車原型進行試飛，試飛時有一名駕駛員在車內。

The company hopes to be able to make a full public demonstration of the vehicle later this summer.

該公司希望能在今年夏天對這款車進行全方位的公開展示。

The test flights are being conducted at a protected indoor facility at the company’s research flight center outside of Nagoya.

試飛是在該公司位於名古屋郊外的飛行研究中心的一個受保護的室內設施中進行的。

There have been a number of previous test flights, but they were all conducted via remote control and no human pilot on-board.

該公司之前已進行過數次試飛，但都是通過遙控進行，無人駕駛。

According to a report in The Asahi Shimbun, SkyDrive says the car could be ready for a limited retail release as early as 2023, and mass production by 2026.

據《朝日新聞》報道，該公司表示，這款車最早將於2023年開始限量出售，2026年開始量產。

SkyDrive was founded by former engineers from Toyota and they intend their vehicle to be ‘the world’s smallest flying car.”

這家公司由日本豐田公司的前工程師創立，公司希望這款汽車成爲“世界上最小的飛行汽車”。

In 2017, Toyota gave the company an infusion of around $350,000 to help develop flying vehicles.

2017年，豐田向該公司注資約35萬美元（約合人民幣241萬元），幫助研發飛行車輛。

The company said it won’t say more about how the test flights have been proceeding so far, but says things are going well enough to continue making them.

該公司表示，不會透露更多有關試飛的目前進展，但表示一切順利，可以繼續進行。

While concept renders of the flying car present a glossy and slim cabin with four horizontal drone-style propellers at each corner, the testing vehicle looks more like a go kart.

雖然按照概念描述，飛行汽車有光滑細長的機艙，四個角上還各有一個水平的無人機風格的螺旋槳，但測試車輛看起來更像一輛卡丁車。

The prototype is around five feet tall thanks to the roll bar and a little less than 12 feet long and 12 feet wide.

由於有翻車保護杆，原型機大約5英尺高（約合1.5米），不到12英尺長，12英尺寬。

The company hopes the flying vehicles could help ease traffic congestion, especially in busy megalopolises like Tokyo.

該公司希望這款飛行車輛有助於緩解交通擁堵，特別是在東京等繁忙的大都市。

SkyDrive also believe flying vehicles could be helpful in search and rescue missions, and during emergencies where conventional infrastructure becomes unusable.

該公司還認爲，在搜救任務中，以及在常規基礎設施無法使用的緊急情況下，飛行交通工具可能會有所幫助。

The company is targeting top speeds of 62mph while in the air and 93mph while closer to the ground.

該公司的目標是最高飛行時速達到62英里（約合99.7公里），接近地面時最高時速93英里。

The company says the vehicle will be able to travel as low as three feet off the ground.

該公司表示，這款車將能夠在離地三英尺的超低空行駛。