Uber Technologies Inc. says we could get to work in one of its flying cars within the decade.

In a 98-page report Uber said that it planned to cut down on long commute times by developing the vertical takeoff and landing vehicles, part of what the company calls Uber Elevate. Jeff Holden, Uber’s chief product officer, said in an article in Medium that the creation of VTOLs is all about saving time and increasing productivity, as well as being good for the environment.

“Just as skyscrapers allowed cities to use limited land more efficiently, urban air transportation will use three-dimensional airspace to alleviate transportation congestion on the ground,” Holden said.

A VTOL network, according to Uber, is less of a challenge to build, and less of an expense as building more and bigger roads, bridges and tunnels. Ventiports will be required for takeoff and landing, using unused land, rooftops and helipads.

In the report, Uber said dozens of companies are working to make this a reality. The technology is far different from the modern helicopter. VTOLs will have a pilot, but the vehicle will use Uber’s self-driving technology. Moreover, unlike the helicopter, it won’t be a huge generator of chemical emissions and noise.

“VTOL aircraft will make use of electric propulsion so they have zero operational emissions and will likely be quiet enough to operate in cities without disturbing the neighbors,” Uber claimed. “At flying altitude, noise from advanced electric vehicles will be barely audible.”

Flying cars may sound rather futuristic, but the detailed report attempts to iron out exactly what challenges will be faced before the classic of science fiction is realized. Some of the issues relate to government regulations, battery life of vehicles and filling points, vehicle efficiency and performance, pilot training and of course cost and safety issues.

Photo credit: Uber