Elon Musk doesn’t think flying cars are good idea; here’s why

Flying cars or underground Hyperloop tunnels? Which do you think is the future?

Here’s what Elon Musk has to say to critics of his Hyperloop project. (REUTERS)

Tesla founder Elon Musk believes flying cars will not be a good idea for the environment.

"If you love drones above your house, you'll really love vast numbers of "cars" flying over your head that are 1000 times bigger and noisier and blow away anything that isn't nailed down when they land," he said in a tweet.

Musk said so in response to comments by new Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi that the future belongs to flying cars and there is no need to dig deep tunnels to create fast lanes for transportation.

The remarks were viewed as veiled attack on Tesla's ambitious Hyperloop project, developed by Musk's Boring Company, which aims to create low-cost tunnels in order to fix traffic congestion in cities.

"Fast to dig, low cost tunnels would also make Hyperloop adoption viable and enable rapid transit across densely populated regions, enabling travel from New York to Washington DC in less than 30 minutes," the company says on its website.

If you love drones above your house, you'll really love vast numbers of "cars" flying over your head that are 1000 times bigger and noisier and blow away anything that isn't nailed down when they land

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 22, 2018

The company recently received green light by Washington, DC's Department of Transportation to start digging tunnels between New York and Washington. Musk last year had said that his company had received a "verbal approval" for the project.

The website points out how flying cars aren't the right solution to fix traffic problems.

"To alleviate traffic, transportation corridors, like the buildings that feed into them, must expand into three dimensions. One option is to "go up" with flying cars. However, flying cars have issues with weather, noise, and generally increase anxiety levels of those below them," the website adds.

Musk's views are in direct conflict with Uber's plans for flying cars, which the app-based taxi service aims to roll out by 2020. According to Khosrowshahi, developing technology promises more eco-friendly flying vehicles.

Challenge accepted. Improved battery tech (thx 2 @elonmusk) and multiple smaller rotors will be much more efficient and avoid noise + environmental pollution. https://t.co/563U0RqDYF

— dara khosrowshahi (@dkhos) February 22, 2018

Flying cars are under development in some countries. Dubai announced last year plans to launch a flying taxi service.

In November last year, Uber's head of product Jeff Holden disclosed that the company had signed a pact with US space agency NASA to develop a new air-traffic control system to manage aero-mobiles.

"On-demand aviation, has the potential to radically improve urban mobility, giving people back time lost in their daily commutes. Uber is close to the commute pain that citizens in cities around the world feel. We view helping to solve this problem as core to our mission and our commitment to our rider base," says Uber in a white paper.

The San Francisco-headquartered company advocated that urban air transportation will use three-dimensional airspace to alleviate road congestion, just as skyscrapers allowed cities to use limited land more efficiently.

"A network of small, electric aircraft that take off and land vertically will enable rapid, reliable transportation between suburbs and cities and, ultimately, within cities," Uber added.