Flying car development

Even 7 years ago, the journalists of the Times magazine prematurely sent dreams of flying cars to dust on the shelf of unrealizable ones, ridiculing them in one of their articles along with food in pills or teleportation. However, recently, not only the prerequisites for the creation of an air car, but also real flights on car-airplanes have appeared. One of the French pilots was even able to cross the English Channel on such a unit. And there are companies that already announce the mass production of this kind of miracle technology, there are those that are in a hurry to please the population of the Earth with the development of flying cars that are about to come true.

Ideas for creating a flying car in the future were initially divided into two categories:

The following projects are closest to viability:

• Slovak AeroMobil;
• German The Lilium Jet;
• Israeli CityHawk;
• Chinese EHang 184;
• Dutch Pal-V Liberty;
• German Volocopter.

AeroMobil

Aeromobil is a Slovak flying car. When will this car come out? 500 copies are planned to be released in 2020. But already now you can pre-order this miracle of technology, since the version that was demonstrated this year is called serial. On average, Aeromobil will cost $1.3 million. But the Slovak-made air car has very significant competitors.

The Lilium Jet

Double flying unit The Lilium Jet so far stands the test. This is an electric car, but it can reach a speed of 300 km / h. Its package includes wings with a span of 10 m, as well as jet engines. This aircraft has 36 jet engines. This German car takes off vertically. So far, the battery charge is only possible for 300 km.

Watch the video of the first successful test of the Lilium Jet flying car.

CityHawk

CityHawk visually resembles a familiar car more than others. It was presented recently, and its passenger capacity is 4 people. Such a flying car is akin to a helicopter in terms of the way it takes off – vertically. CityHawk runs on hydrogen fuel and has a jet engine. The main difference from a helicopter in this model of an air car is that its blades are not outside the body, but inside. This design helps to avoid damage to the blades during vertical takeoff, and, of course, landing.

When will the flying car come from Israel? Presumably in 5 years.

EHung

A Chinese flying car called EHung has already seen the light of day. More precisely, its prototype. This air car is planned to be used only as a taxi. And this is a drone that a person cannot control. The work of a person in managing the EHung 184 comes down to the fact that he chooses the route on the tablet built into the car. Everything else is done by air taxi itself. But this device may remain without prospects for mass promotion for several reasons:

PAL-V Liberty

The Dutch, like the Slovaks, say that they have launched the air car in series. But they are faster with time. You can buy such a PAL-V Liberty brand unit now, and pick it up in 2018, not far from this moment. True, after all, this miracle of technology will appear among the masses at the end of next year. The PAL-V Liberty flying car resembles a miniature helicopter in its appearance and takeoff type.

Volvo copter

Volvocopter can’t be called a 2017 flying car. This is because, although it has already been designed, it will only be tested next year. This unit has two seats – for the driver-pilot and for the passenger. This aircraft has a vertical takeoff and landing. The traction works on electricity. This mini helicopter has as many as 18 mini propellers.

The nuances of the cars of the future

Do not rely on the fact that in the near future the mass consumer will have a reason to travel by aircars. The fact is, there are good reasons why flying cars are likely to be the cars of the future for a very long time to come.

These include:

• high price. The most overwhelming flying car will cost at least $300,000;
• the listed models have competitors, and there are many of them. Competitors are stepping on the heels of the leaders, and it is not a fact that they will not overtake them in the near future. For example, one of the world’s leading car manufacturers, Japan, plans to produce flying cars for the Olympics, which will be held in this country in 2020. And the efficiency and intelligence of Japanese developers is not much equal in the world;
• the declared terms of serial production of more or less tested and ready at least for test flights of air vehicles are constantly shifting a little;
• the infrastructure in modern cities and countries does not yet allow the use of flying cars to the full extent, as a really real means of transportation for an ordinary person.

However, in the United Arab Emirates (Dubai) the operation of flying taxis has already begun. These are vehicles that can travel through the air. Flying taxis are drones. So, they have no right to be called real cars. But, nevertheless, the use of flying vehicles is already a step into a new era, where a person will be able to move through the air not only in science fiction films and books, but also in fantasies and on ordinary planes and helicopters. It remains only to wait for the day when one of the development companies nevertheless starts mass production of air vehicles. And there it will already become clear what it will be like – a flying car of the future – like a flying car or like a traveling plane, or maybe it will be a mini-helicopter.