Taking wing
Flying cars, promised for decades, are quickly making sci-fi dreams a reality
You pull out of your driveway, drop the kids off at school — then hit the takeoff button and soar to your first business meeting of the day 400 miles away.
It might sound like the stuff of science fiction, but the race is on to produce the first commercially available flying car, with Slovak manufacturer AeroMobil taking orders for delivery in 2020.
American automotive tycoon Henry Ford predicted in 1940 that “a combination of airplane and motorcar is coming”, but until now his vision has failed to become reality. As Harry tells Ron when they’re flying Arthur Weasley’s Ford Anglia to Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: “Most Muggles aren’t exactly accustomed to seeing a flying car.”
But it might soon be time for Harry to rethink that stance. Tech startups and established giants, including Uber and Toyota, are getting involved in the business, despite the daunting challenges of regulatory red tape and safety concerns. Uber outlined its plans for flying electric-powered taxis when it held its first Elevation Summit in Dallas last year, with chief product officer Jeff Holden saying: “Flying cars have been promised for decades, but are arriving now.” He remarked that electric-powered versions would be much quieter and safer than helicopters for flights across urban areas. Uber hopes to launch demo models of its vertical takeoff electric flying taxis in Dubai and Dallas in 2020. The vehicles would take off from a network of “vertiports”.
Toyota has invested in the Japanese startup Cartivator, which is developing a flying car it hopes will be used to light the Olympic flame in Tokyo in 2020. The Zhejiang Geelyowned, Massachusetts-based Terrafugia (meaning “escape the earth”) says its Transition VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) car has received FAA approval, with aims to start deliveries in the next three years. And Munich-based Lilium has successfully tested its two-seater electric-powered Eagle prototype, and is now developing a five-seater version designed for air taxi and ridesharing services. It envisages a future where travelers can call up a flying taxi on an Uber-style app. “A flight from Manhattan to New York’s JFK Airport will take around five minutes, compared to the 55 minutes it would take you by car,” according to the company.
Having a flying car may sound cool and all, but why would anybody actually buy one? They provide the “convenience and speed of air travel with the door-to-door flexibility and comfort of a private car,” explains Juraj Vaculik, co-founder and CEO of AeroMobil. “There are several scenarios for using this type of vehicle: super-commuting, weekend travel, business or just recreational flying.”
In road mode, the AeroMobil can reach 100 mph. It’s powered by a two-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged engine that on the ground generates electrical power that drives the front wheels. In the air, it can reach 225 mph and has a range of 470 miles (756 km). Vaculik says that the AeroMobil has a perfectly aerodynamic teardrop shape, with the appearance of “petals opening” as the wings gradually extend.
The two-seater AeroMobil can convert from road to flying mode (and vice versa) in just three minutes, with the wings tucking away so it can fit into a regular parking space. Vaculik says AeroMobil’s potential customers come from a range of backgrounds and markets, including supercar buyers and aviation enthusiasts.
“The newest AeroMobil is purposefully designed as a breathtaking, highly desirable, truly niche high-technology luxury vehicle,” says Vaculik. Beyond the convenience and novelty factor, he believes that flying cars could be the answer to relieving the worsening congestion in transport systems. “They will be a natural extension to the set of cars, airplanes and helicopters we use today.”
It’s a view shared by Uber and other major players aiming to enter the market. The main technologies available — carbon fiber and lightweight materials — and the power output of the new generation of engines are allowing designers to develop an entirely new type of vehicle.
Vaculik, a self-confessed technology buff, says he became involved with AeroMobil in 2010 and funded the project out of his own pocket until 2015, when the company began to receive money from private investors and the Slovak government. He’s confident that regulatory and other potential obstacles won’t stop the development of flying cars, despite the current debates over the use of drones and driverless cars. “In Asia, markets such as China are undertaking significant investment in airport infrastructure, creating opportunities for transport innovation,” he says.
AeroMobil’s goal is to build a flying car that’s ready for customers to use without requiring a “significant reworking of existing infrastructure and regulatory environments all over the world”. The AeroMobil team reflects the innovation’s hybrid nature — the 40 members of staff come from both the aviation and automobile industries.
They’ve applied their expertise in employing the latest composite, weight-saving technology drawn from both motorsport and advanced aircraft design to make the AeroMobil as light and strong as possible.
With the first production scheduled for 2020, the initial AeroMobil run is planned as a limited series of 500 units, with the first 25 labeled a Founders Edition with an “expanded benefits package”, says Vaculik. If you can afford the price tag of 1.2 million euros, and hold both a driver’s and a pilot’s license, then the dream of being able to drive and fly may soon no longer be pie in the sky.