Google boss’s flying car plans take off
UNITED STATES: A prototype of a flying car being developed by Google cofounder Larry Page has been spotted and it’s not nearly as sleek as Back to the Future’s DeLorean. But some experts believe that the vehicle represents the future of your commute, even if it does not let you travel through time.
The prototype from Zee. Aero, one of two flying car companies said to be funded by Page, was seen at the airport at Hollister, California, where the business has a hangar.
Employees of a nearby aero turbines company said they saw the aircraft take off vertically, hover about 7.5 metres above the tarmac, then land.
‘‘It sounded like an electric motor running, just a high-pitched whine,’’ Steve Eggleston, who took the photograph, said.
Zee. Aero would not comment but the aircraft photographed resembles drawings that the company submitted in a patent three years ago. There is also speculation that the vehicle could be selfflying, or semi-autonomous.
The ‘‘car’’ is not roadworthy, with relatively tiny wheels, but gets the name because owners could take off and land from a driveway and use it day to day.
Experts say mass-market flying cars are coming much closer. Reasons include better, more efficient batteries, lowercost aviation electronics, lower manufacturing costs, and better automated systems - the consequences of advances in drone design.
There is no price or launch date for Zee .Aero’s vehicle but companies such as Aero Mobil and Terrafugia plan to sell flying cars for prices equivalent to several hundred thousand dollars.
Tim Robinson, editor of Aerospace magazine, said: ‘‘The idea of flying cars has been there as long as there have been cars and planes. However, the technology really seems to be converging, and now you’ve got people like Page and Airbus involved, there is serious momentum.’’
Airbus subsidiary AA3 is working on a self-piloted flying car for one passenger or cargo. The company’s Project Vahana vehicle is designed to address ‘‘rising transportation challenges in metropolitan areas’’.
The company is aiming to fly a fullsize prototype before the end of next year and to have a market-ready vehicle by 2020. It believes that automated flying cars could revolutionise urban travel for millions of people in as little as 10 years.