--- title: Roads? Where We’re Going … description: ... we don't need roads. A Toyota-backed startup in Japan is working to develop a flying car called Skydrive, which it hopes will carry a driver to light the Olympic torch in the 2020 Tokyo Games. Here, other initiatives to make Back to the Future II a reality. canonical: https://time.com/4810481/flying-car-innovation/ author: Kate Samuelson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-06-08T10:26:42.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-31T11:01:58.571Z article:section: Science og:title: Roads? Where We’re Going … og:description: ... we don't need roads. A Toyota-backed startup in Japan is working to develop a flying car called Skydrive, which it hopes will carry a driver to light the Olympic torch in the 2020 Tokyo Games. Here, other initiatives to make Back to the Future II a reality. og:url: https://time.com/4810481/flying-car-innovation/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaf7a5eca943e7f33/6988d0b2656a3f07edbd053f/roads-where-going-flying-car-aeromobil.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2405 og:image:height: 1353 og:image:alt: roads-where-going-flying-car-aeromobil og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Roads? Where We’re Going … twitter:description: ... we don't need roads. A Toyota-backed startup in Japan is working to develop a flying car called Skydrive, which it hopes will carry a driver to light the Olympic torch in the 2020 Tokyo Games. Here, other initiatives to make Back to the Future II a reality. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaf7a5eca943e7f33/6988d0b2656a3f07edbd053f/roads-where-going-flying-car-aeromobil.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Roads? Where We're Going ... > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Future Proof: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Future Proof is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Making sense of the climate and energy economy. Future Proof examines the forces transforming energy and climate, and what those changes mean for business, technology, policy and the global economy. Senior correspondent Justin Worland goes beyond traditional climate coverage to connect the energy transition to the bigger decisions reshaping companies, markets and society. 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Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Kate Samuelson](https://time.com/author/kate-samuelson/) ## Kate Samuelson Jun 8, 2017 10:26 AM UTC  AeroMobil by [Kate Samuelson](https://time.com/author/kate-samuelson/) ## Kate Samuelson Jun 8, 2017 10:26 AM UTC UBER The transportation company is planning to test a program called Uber Elevate, an on-demand network of vertical-takeoff-and-landing electric air taxis for urban areas, as early as 2020. KITTY HAWK A Silicon Valley company backed by Google co-founder Larry Page is working on the Kitty Hawk Flyer, an electric aircraft designed to operate over water and doesn’t require a pilot’s license to fly. AEROMOBIL Slovakian company AeroMobil’s roughly $1.2 million flying car will begin shipping in 2020\. The gas-powered vehicle can be used on the road and in the air, and can fly from London to Paris in one hour. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4810481/flying-car-innovation/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4810481/flying-car-innovation/"},"headline":"Roads? Where We're Going ...","datePublished":"2017-06-08T10:26:42.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T11:01:58.571Z","description":"... we don't need roads. A Toyota-backed startup in Japan is working to develop a flying car called Skydrive, which it hopes will carry a driver to light the Olympic torch in the 2020 Tokyo Games. 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