Daimler is investing in flying cars for some reason

Daimler is investing in flying cars for some reason

Established players are only beginning to dip their toes into the weird world of "flying cars," and Daimler is the latest to do so.

Daimler, parent company of Mercedes-Benz and Smart, was part of the latest round of funding for Germany's Volocopter, Reuters reports. The total funding round scooped up about $30 million, but it's unclear just how much Daimler put down.

Volocopter, like so many other "flying car" firms out there, is working on a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft that runs on electricity. It's angled toward replacing traditional taxicabs, and the company hopes to run some demonstrations before the end of 2017.

Volocopter is far from the first company to look into VTOL as a cure for ever-busier roads. US company Terrafugia is working on one, as well. There are a few well-known names in this field, too -- namely Uber, which produced a 99-page white paper on using VTOL craft to mitigate urban congestion.

Daimler's investment isn't evn the largest by an automaker. Reports are circulating that Geely, Volvo's parent company, is set to purchase Terrafugia. Whether that would actually result in a flying car is yet to be determined, but it's clear that urban traffic jams can frustrate us all enough to where we'd rather throw caution to the wind and hit the skies. 

Read More : https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/daimler-is-now-investing-in-flying-cars-for-some-reason/