When cars fly? Uber wants to test on-demand air transport by 2020

Uber said it plans to test flying cars by 2020, with the goal of eventually enabling customers to "push a button and get a high-speed flight in and around cities". The embattled ride-sharing company, which is facing a high-stakes intellectual property lawsuit over its self-driving car technology, said it is partnering with aircraft manufacturers to develop an "on-demand" network of "vertical take-off and landing vehicles". The announcement at the company's inaugural Elevate Summit in Dallas on Tuesday marks Uber's latest push to transform urban transportation, following numerous controversial programs that have led to high-profile conflicts with governments across the globe. Many questions remain about how flying cars will work and how cities will regulate the technology and on-demand systems. The San Francisco-based company has a long history of openly flouting regulations and defying existing laws that control the taxi industry and govern the testing of autonomous vehicles.