In June 2018, we wrote about Kittyhawk when a startup backed by billionaire Google co-founder Larry Page raised $5 million from Boeing HorizonX Ventures and other investors to bring fast and compact flying cars to the masses. Four years later, Kittyhawk shuts down its operations after it crashed.
Kittyhawk announced yesterday that it would be closing down, which will be a major setback to the long-elusive dream of developing compact flying cars. We have made the decision to wind down Kittyhawk. We are still working on the details of what is going to happen next. The company wrote in a Twitter post.
Zee was founded in 2010 in New York. Aero, the company's flying car, unveiled a demonstration video in 2017. In 2018, it unveiled a single seat prototype called the Flyer, which could hold one person and fly up to 20 miles.
Back then, Kittyhawk said that the commercial version of the Flyer would be available to consumers within five years. The company announced yesterday that it would shutter operations, but it didn't come until that day. The elusive flying car never got off the ground.
According to multiple reports, Kittyhawk shifted its focus from its Flyer program to its electric aircraft called Heaviside in 2020. A year ago, Kittyhawk founded its Wisk venture with Boeing. The airplane giant invested 450 million dollars in the partnership. Boeing and Wisk presented a vision for a world where eVTOLs can co-exist with larger commercial aircraft this week.
Kitty Hawk's decision to cease operations does not change Boeing's commitment to Wisk. We are excited to see the work they are doing to drive innovation and sustainability through the future of electric air travel, and we are proud to be a founding member of Wisk Aero. We do not expect Kitty Hawk's announcement to affect Wisk's operations or other activities in any way.