Aurora Flight Sciences, a subsidiary of aerospace giant Boeing, said Wednesday that it recently conducted the first test flight of its all-electric autonomous passenger air vehicle. The unpiloted vehicle took off vertically, hovered for a few seconds, and then landed at the company’s test site in Manassas, Virginia. Boeing said that future flights will test forward, wing-borne flight, as well as the transition phase between vertical and forward-flight modes.

The unpiloted vehicle took off vertically, hovered for a few seconds, and then landed

It’s a significant step toward a future in which autonomous, electric “flying taxis” zip from skyscraper to skyscraper, bearing passengers and cargo in service of an entirely new form of urban mobility. Boeing is just one of dozens of companies that are pursuing some form of urban air taxi service, but as one of the largest aviation companies in the world, clearly it has the resources and the engineering prowess to get something in the air sooner than later.

The reason Boeing’s efforts here are notable is because, simply put, there are no electric-powered aircraft, or even gas-electric hybrid aircraft, in commercial operation today. Flying requires an incredible amount of energy, and present battery technology just doesn’t offer the power-to-weight ratio needed to achieve liftoff. Most experts predict that it will be years, if not decades, before the technology catches up.

Powered by an electric propulsion system, Boeing says the prototype is designed for fully autonomous flight from takeoff to landing, with a range of up to 50 miles (80.47 kilometers). Measuring 30 feet (9.14 meters) long and 28 feet (8.53 meters) wide, its airframe integrates the propulsion and wing systems to achieve efficient hover and forward flight (also known as vertical takeoff and landing, or VTOL).

The test was conducted by Boeing’s futuristic NeXt division, which also oversees its heavy-duty drone prototype that’s capable of lifting a 500-pound payload. The so-called “cargo air vehicle” conducted its first indoor flight test last year, and will move to outdoor testing in 2019, Boeing says.

Aurora Flight Sciences, an aviation and aeronautics research company, was acquired by Boeing in 2017. It is one of a handful of firms that have partnered with Uber in an effort to develop a network of “flying taxis” that operate on the ride-hailing company’s forthcoming “Uber Air” product, which it plans to launch in 2023.

A possible contender for the forthcoming “Uber Air” service

In it’s announcement about the test flight, Boeing made no mention of Uber, but did underscore its goal of unlocking “the potential of the urban air mobility market.” For its part, Uber praised Boeing and Aurora for being “officially first in flight for Uber.” Earlier this month, helicopter manufacturer Bell brought a scale model of its Nexus VTOL aircraft to CES in Las Vegas.

Drones and flying taxis aren’t Boeing’s only VTOL projects in the works. The company is also the primary sponsor of a $2 million contest to build a functional jetpack. The competition seeks entrants who can produce a safe, quiet, ultra-compact personal flying device capable of carrying a single person 20 miles or more without refueling or recharging. The finalists were announced last June.

And Boeing isn’t the only aerospace giant interested in electric flight. Last year, rival Airbus demonstrated its Vahana eVTOL aircraft in a test flight very similar to Boeing’s. But unlike Boeing, Airbus plans on launching its own flying taxi network, sans Uber. So for these public companies like Boeing (market cap $201 billion) and Airbus ($73 billion) with all their stockholders and board members, to be invested in a ludicrous-sounding venture like “flying taxis,” it can’t help but feel like we’re on the cusp of some major breakthroughs.