Combining a road vehicle with flight seems like the perfect solution to congested routes, saving time for everyone - no? There are plenty of companies working on flying cars. The Terrafugia Transition is how many people will imagine a flying car should look, combining many elements of a light aircraft within the size constraints of a car. However, the Terrafugia also shows up one of the key hurdles to a successful flying car: it needs a runway to get into the air.
The practicalities of using a runway greatly reduce the appeal of a flying car as a viable means of transport. After all, why not use a car to drive to an airfield, fly to your destination and complete the journey in another car? This is the conundrum that other companies working on flying cars are looking to solve with VTOL vertical take-off and landing designs. As cities like New York, Hong Kong and Beijing reach capacity, urban living becomes less and less sustainable — yet our increasingly interconnected economy demands constant mobility.
The effects could transform commuting, and living, as we know it. Owning a VTOL could become as affordable and ubiquitous as owning a bicycle. Increasing numbers of flying cars will naturally give rise to a changing layout in the way our cities are structured as cities grow taller, rooftop landings expand and air highways connect super sky-scrapers, freeing up space below.
Fewer cars on the ground will reduce congestion and may give rise to parks and green spaces. VTOLs have vast implications for the future of transport, work-life, consumption, urban design, even healthcare and ecology. As soon as , consumers might be able to press a button and order an air taxi straight to their cloud-tethered office. In the decades that follow, we may ultimately have fewer and fewer reasons to descend to the earth below, conducting our business and our lives atop a city in the sky.
Join one million Future fans by liking us on Facebook , or follow us on Twitter or Instagram. If you liked this story, sign up for the weekly bbc. Future Inc. Future Inc Transport. The flying car is here — and it could change the world. This reduces range and requires more fuel to fly.
It can also cause instability. Meanwhile, wings and rotor blades can throw off a car's power-to-weight ratio. The heavier they are, the bigger a powertrain you'll need to drive. But too heavy a powertrain, and the car won't fly. Vice versa, if the wings are too small, the car won't get off the ground. Developing a vehicle that meets this balance is expensive and time consuming. That's because, unlike with cars and planes, there is no blueprint for flying cars. Slovakian company AeroMobil has a flying car that's taken over 30 years to make a reality.
The car has required four different iterations. The first was simply a concept designed by cofounder Stefan Klein in the s. It could theoretically fly and drive, but was bizarre-looking and far too big to be used in traffic. This led to the second version, which was built in when the company was established. It had collapsible wings, could fit into a regular parking space, and had a range of miles on the road and miles in the air.
It first flew in But even then, the company was already in development of its first official prototype, the AeroMobil 3. It featured upgrades that would be necessary on a production car. That includes a reinforced body made from carbon fiber, advanced avionics, and patented steering controls.
The wings fold out and propellers arrange themselves in a hexagonal fashion, while on the inside, the car dashboard transforms into a more information-dense flight-style cockpit with maps, gauges, and meters galore.
In its flight mode, the ASKA can hit speeds of mph with an airborne range of miles on a full battery charge, and even safe landing protocols built in to keep the passengers safe. NFT Inc. A stunning look at how the ASKA transforms from its driving-mode to its flying-mode.
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