Flying cars to be tested in new Indonesian capital in 2024

Indonesia’s future capital city, Nasuntara, is set to become the testing ground for Hyundai’s flying car project starting in 2024.

Mohammed Ali Berawi, the deputy head of the Green and Digital Transformations Department at the National Capital Authority of Nusantara announced that the government had signed a memorandum of understanding with Hyundai to build a network in the country that would be used for the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) project.

Speaking in Jakarta, Indonesia’s current capital city, on Wednesday, Mohammed said that Hyundai will begin testing the AAM project in Nasuntara in 2024. Mohammed added that this collaboration could lead to the South Korean automotive manufacturer developing Indonesia’s first flying cars.

Although the technology for flying cars is still in its infancy, Mohammed said they are already looking way ahead into the future, adding that it could take decades before the technology becomes common in Nusantara.

“We’re not building this city for 2024; we are looking ahead to 2045, so that’s when the [flying car] tech is for. Now, it’s hard to imagine flying cars, but maybe they’ll be around by 2035,” Mohammed said. “We can be one of the pioneers in the development of the tech.”

Mohammed stated that Hyundai’s flying cars will look like drones and will be able to transport people and goods to areas that are not easily accessible by roads, such as hills.

In August 2019, Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced the government’s plan to replace Indonesia’s capital city, citing problems in Jakarta such as heavy traffic, pollution and the sinking of the city into the Java Sea at an alarming rate.

The replacement is reportedly expected to cost around 486 trillion rupiahs (approximately $31.6 billion), and the process could take 10 years. The Indonesian government is hoping to start relocating its administrative hub to Nasuntara, located on the island of Borneo in Indonesia’s East Kalimantan province, in 2024.

Featured Image via CNET Highlights

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