This article is bereft of any significant details, but if it's alluding to the project I'm thinking of, this concept is in work at some major level with all the big rotorcraft manufacturers.
The idea is to have a completely autonomous vertical lift vehicle that can be accessed via rooftop in major cities, and used to fly across the traffic grid during peak hours.
I don't know if all-electric propulsion is considered a critical design element, but I think the biggest barrier would still be the AFCS and safety questions posing the challenge to public acceptance.
How big of a target would an autonomous helicopter pose to the next generation of L33T HAXORZ?