1st Flying Car Going to Market
Slovakia's AeroMobil AM 4.0 Aims to be World's 1st Operational Flying Car
A Real Flying-Driving Car
Slovakia-based startup AeroMobil aims to be the first to bring real flying-driving cars to market and put them into the hands of average consumers. The company has a flying car that has successfully completed thousands of hours of test flights. It's called AeroMobil AM 4.0 and it is the 4th generation of the flying car that the company has been developing since 2010. It is hybrid electric and AeroMobil hopes to actually deliver the vehicle to buyers in 2025.
Tech Specs
Power for the vehicle comes from a hybrid system with a turbocharged internal combustion engine that works for both driving and flying. The transition from driving to flying takes under three minutes. The wings are on hinges that can lift up to drive within lanes and to fit into a garage. With a single occupant, the vehicle has a driving range of 320 miles, a flying range of 260 miles with speeds up to 100 mph on the road and 160 mph in the air. It needs a runway for takeoff of at least 1300 feet and can even takeoff from a grassy surface. It has a climb rate of 1200 feet per minute. The company says the flying car is "suitable for inexperienced pilots". One would expect they are also working on an autonomous flying system to assist inexperienced pilots.
Next Steps
The flying car is currently on a global tour spanning Miami, London, Paris and Shanghai. To become fully operational, it needs to pass strict requirements for driving and flying. It, most likely, will also require pilot training and certification. And for all flying cars, new regulatory guidelines and infrastructure will need to be established. There are a lot of hurdles going forward to make flying cars an everyday occurrence on the roads and in the sky. But AeroMobil says it will be the first flying car to hit the market. We don't know the price yet, but to service the "average consumer" it will have to be reasonably priced.
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