Important Innovations

  XPeng X3 eVTOL Successful Test Flight                                                       Source: XPeng Unique Flying Car Technology China-based eVTOL startup XPeng has just successfully completed the 1st full test flight of its 2-ton, all-electric flying car X3 in Beijing.  The flying car contains unique aviation and automotive technologies.  It is a real flying and driving car with vertical takeoff and landing capabilities.  If the EV encounters an obstacle like a river or traffic jam, it can vertically take-off, flying over the obstruction, land and then resume driving. X3 offers new possibilities in mobility.  It's the stuff that a commuting dream is made of.  It's a zero-emissions, fully electric, flying and driving car that is just about production ready. It has become one of the most promi...

  Slovakia's Klein Vision Air Car                                          Source:  Klein Vision AirCar Dawn of a New Type of Travel There's a big breakthrough for the global flying car industry.  Slovakia based Klein Vision's AirCar has been awarded a certificate of airworthiness allowing it to fly.  The flying car has completed 70 hours of rigorous flight tests including more than 200 take-offs and landings.  It's a landmark event heralding the dawn of a new mode of travel.  The certificate was awarded by the Slovak Transport Authority.  A pilot's license is required to fly the vehicle. Tech Specs With the press of a button, AirCar can transform from a car to a plane in 2 minutes and 15 seconds.  It's powered by a 140 hp,1.6-liter, 4-cylinder BMW combustion engine. The engine powers the fixed propeller when flying and...

  Hydrogen Powered Car-Helicopter Combo                                                               Source:  MACA Flight Straight Out of Star Wars & Off to the Races   French startup MACA Flight, an Airbus startup, unveiled a fascinating hydrogen powered combination car and helicopter at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2022.  It is designed to be a flying race car.  Experts say that it is reminiscent of the flying podracers in the Star Wars movie series.  This is the world's second flying race car.  Australia's Alauda Aeronautics introduced the world's first - Airspeeder Mk3 - about a year ago and put it through its paces in the world's first electric flying drag race. Carcopter The new French MACA S11 is classified as a carcopter, VTOL (vertical take...

  Boeing & Porsche Partner on Flying Porsches                   Source:  Porsche & Boeing Flying Car Concepts Multinational Research Effort Porsche and Boeing are combining their respective sports car and aircraft expertise to create a flying Porsche for your personal commuting.  An international team of experts from Chicago based Boeing and German based Porsche are coming together to work on the development project in three R&D locations: Germany, Switzerland and the United States.  Porsche will design the vehicle's body.  Boeing will engineer and develop the airborne vehicle's capabilities.   Air Traffic Control and Regulatory Environment The two global companies are also taking on a much wider challenge to ensure the eventual rollout of their new flying car technologies and other flying cars and urban air mobility systems.  They intend to focus on air traffic control a...

  AIR4 Flying Car Concept                                                   Source: Renault Renault Celebrates 60th Anniversary of the 4 French automaker Renault has converted its highly successful 60-year-old hatchback model car, the 4, into a flying car to celebrate its 60th anniversary.  They call it the Renault AIR4.  Renault has been working with the design firm The Arsenal to build an operational prototype of AIR4 that demonstrates what the flying hatchback will look like in six decades ahead of now.  At the moment it's a carbon fiber concept that has been successfully flown.  The 4 has been an automotive fixture and success story in Europe for decades.  More than 8 million of the iconic Renault 4 have been sold in more than 100 nations. Tech Specs The flying car is comprised of two components. The ...

  Israeli Startup AIR's "Flying Car"                                                         Source:  AIR Working With FAA For US Take-off Israeli startup AIR has revealed a 2 seat, electric "flying car" eVTOL designed for personal travel and recreation. The revolutionary new flying machine is called Air One. With collapsible wings and retractable landing gear, it can fit in a garage, so there's no need to rent hanger space. AIR hopes to start selling the personal, electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle (eVTOL) directly into the individual consumer market, primarily in the US, by 2024.  The company has smartly jumpstarted the process by working directly with the FAA for two years on licensing and regulations to ensure that it is safe and legal.  AIR says that it expects to be cleared for takeo...

  Flying in Extreme Environments and at High Altitudes                                           Source: XPeng Voyager X2 All Electric New Way to Travel XPeng Huitan, a subsidiary of XPeng Motors, recently unveiled its 5th generation flying car at the Chengdu Motor Show in China.  Now, the automaker has revealed that the X2 is undergoing test flights in extreme weather conditions  and at high altitudes above cities in China.  The EV is actually an eVTOL, an electric vertical take off and landing vehicle.  XPeng Huitan calls it a "flying car" because it sports a lot of the design contained in the company's P7 EV sedan. Current Capabilities The X2 can operate on a full charge for 35 minutes and flies to a maximum altitude of 3,280 feet.  Top speed is 81 mph.  The current model can carry two people, has a closed cockpit and the fuse...

XPeng's Voyager X2  Flying in Extreme Environments and at High Altitudes                                           Source: XPeng Voyager X2 All-Electric, New Way to Travel XPeng Huitan, a subsidiary of XPeng Motors, recently unveiled its 5th generation flying car at the Chengdu Motor Show in China.  Now, the automaker has revealed that the X2 is undergoing test flights in extreme weather conditions  and at high altitudes above cities in China.  The EV is actually an eVTOL, an electric vertical take off and landing vehicle.  XPeng Huitan calls it a "flying car" because it sports a lot of the design contained in the company's P7 EV sedan. Current Capabilities The X2 can operate on a full charge for 35 minutes and flies to a maximum altitude of 3,280 feet.  Top speed is 81 mph.  The current model can carry two people, has a closed c...

  Fully Autonomous, eVTOL Personal Air Mobility                                             Source: NeXT iFLY US Advanced eVTOL Startup NeXT US air mobility startup NeXT has created a highly advanced, one person e-VTOL that vertically takes off and lands like a helicopter.  No airport runway or infrastructure is needed.  The vehicle is called iFLY.  The company says it is planet friendly as it is fully electric with zero emissions.  It is also fully autonomous with no pilot needed.  It is designed to be a very affordable means of personal air mobility. Unique Flying Technology The vehicle operates with a mobile app that works on both android and iOS.  The rider needs to select a destination landing spot provided on a touchscreen, which in turn provides iFLY instructions to reach the desired destination.  The EV operates...

 Flexcraft -   Reconfigurable With Passenger or Cargo Cabins `                                       Source:  Flexcraft Consortium Wings Fly Home On Their Own Portugal's Flexcraft electric flying car design has won the Gold Prize in the Transport category of the International Design Awards.  The technology and innovation tucked into the design of this modular vehicle are disruptive innovation. The vehicle is reconfigurable and capable of a variety of missions.  It can carry a passenger or cargo cabin and can be used for luxury transport, humanitarian cargo missions or medical evacuations. The cabin is connected to the wings for flight.  But after landing, the wings detach and the 3-wheeled cabin drives to its destination as an electric car.  The wings can fly themselves to a pre-programmed location, perhaps to pick up another cabin.  ...

  Flying Taxi Volante Vision is "Beauty in Motion"                                                                 Source:  Aston Martin Volante Vision A Flying Car That James Bond Would Love In his many movies, super spy, 007 James Bond's car of choice was always an Aston Martin.  Aston Martin's futuristic concept vehicle Volante Vision would take his breath away.  Volante Vision is an autonomous, hybrid electric flying taxi.  The vehicle is an e-VTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) that seats three adults.  A revolutionary piece of personal travel mobility, the EV is fully autonomous and is designed for urban and inner city travel. Volante Vision takes off and lands like a helicopter.  Aston Martin says its purpose is to provide fast, efficient and congest...