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Uber is still committed to its dream of flying cars.<\/p>\n
In May, the ride-hailing company will host a special conference dedicated to the futuristic vehicles, a sign that Uber's intentions to play a leading role in the nascent industry have not been dampened by the new management and investors who now control the company. <\/p>\n
Uber's second annual "Elevate Summit" will take place in Los Angeles \u2014 one of the cities where it hopes to launch a pilot project in the next few years.<\/p>\n
The invite-only event<\/a> will feature unspecified "announcements and demonstrations," and Uber execs will discuss "what's coming next for Uber Elevate," a Uber spokesperson told Business Insider by email. A special website that Uber unveiled on Monday for the upcoming event listed numerous recent Uber hires, many poached from NASA and academia, as scheduled speakers.<\/p>\n Flying cars, a longtime staple of science-fiction, are getting closer to reality, with a number of well-funded companies racing to develop the technology, including Boeing, Airbus and Kitty Hawk, a startup backed by Google founder Larry Page. <\/p>\n Uber is best-known for its on-demand ride-hailing app, but in recent years has talked up the promise of Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) aircraft \u2014 flying vehicles capable of launching without a runway, and sometimes referred to as "flying cars" \u2014 for transportation in urban areas.<\/p>\n In November 2017, the company's head of product Jeff Holden shared a number of details about the "Uber Elevate" project, The Verge reported at the time<\/a>. It hopes to launch tests in Los Angeles, Dallas-Fort Worth and Dubai by 2020, and envisions customers booking seats on an aircraft via the app, much like a regular taxi, then catching it from a rooftop "skyport." <\/p>\n Uber, one of the world's dominant ride-hailing services, has for years invested in futuristic technology including self-driving cars and flying cars under the leadership of Travis Kalanick, the former CEO and cofounder. Kalanick was replaced as CEO by Dara <\/a>Khosrowshahi<\/a> in August, following a rocky year at Uber.<\/p>\n Despite the change in management, Uber appears to be moving forward with its plans for flying cars. <\/p>\n Subjects due to be discussed at the Elevate event, which will take place at LA's Skirball Center on May 8 and 9, include "Moving Cities," "Airspace & Enabling Operations," and "Vehicles, Batteries and Key Technologies."<\/p>\n For now, the line-up of speakers is exclusively Uber employees, including Holden and CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. It also highlights a number of Uber's recent hires from elsewhere in the industry, including Celina Mikolojczak, director of engineering, energy storage solutions (joined in January 2018, formerly at Tesla); Rob McDonald, head of aircraft engineering (joined in January 2018, formerly at California Polytechnic State University); and Thomas Prevot, director of airspace systems (joined in July 2017, formerly at NASA).<\/p>\n SEE ALSO: The amazing life of Uber's new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi \u2014 from refugee to tech superstar<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Join the conversation about this story \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n NOW WATCH: What it's actually like to hear voices in your head<\/a><\/p>\nWelcome to the Skyport<\/h2>\n