The American giant Uber plans to create flying taxis in the city of Paris, announcing that it will open a laboratory to develop them in the French capital, making the idea of traveling by air taxis more and more tangible.
The sum to invest amounts to € 20 million over five years to create AI algorithms (artificial intelligence, for acronym in English) and air traffic control systems, among other technologies.
It is also associated with the prestigious Ecole Polytechnique engineering school. The announcement will be seen as a blow to President Macron, who wants to turn France into a global technology center.
The research center becomes part of its Elevate program, which will open in the fall and will be the first Uber development site outside the US.
"Almost a decade ago, the idea of Uber nation of the need to take a walk on a cold night in Paris," said Eric Allison, Uber's head of aviation.
"That's why we're pleased to announce our new Advanced Technology Center in the city where it all started."
"With world-class engineers and a leading role in global aviation, France is the perfect place to advance our Uber Elevate program and new technology initiatives," Uber Executive President Dara Khosrowshahi said in a statement.
"We are excited to partner with Ecole Polytechnique to shape the future of urban mobility, on the ground and in the air."
The Paris development center will join the Uber sites in Pittsburgh, Toronto and San Francisco, and will initially focus on the simulation and machine learning systems needed to manage flying taxis.
Uber Elevate is an ambitious project, with the firm hoping to launch air taxis by 2023. It is working with NASA and the US Army. in the project and has two aircraft manufacturers, Embraer and Pipistrel Aircraft, also on board.
Previously, Uber has had a tense relationship with the French authorities. The government closed one of its services, UberPop, in 2015 and the company temporarily closed its Paris service in 2016 in protest against the new and strict regulations.
President Macron met with technology companies earlier this week at the Elysee Palace in Paris to discuss how they face issues such as data protection and false news.
Uber said the Paris base will allow him to work more easily with European aviation regulators, such as the European Aviation Safety Agency. Recently, the company obtained permission to test drone systems in the USA. as part of a series of 10 projects approved by the Federal Aviation Authority that are designed to explore the technologies and regulations that are necessary to regulate their use.
The application-based taxi company has had multiple delays in its efforts to develop the next generation of transport vehicles. He recently closed his autonomous car tests in Arizona, returning to Pittsburgh and San Francisco, after the first fatal crash that involved a vehicle without a driver.