Thursday, October 30, 2014

Startup nears completion of consumer-ready flying car

A little startup based in Slovakia has just shown off what could be the future of modern transportation, a flying car capable of hitting a top-flight speed of 100 miles per hour.

The vehicle, which is about the size of a minivan, was unveiled at an annual innovation conference at Vienna’s Hofburg Palace. The operable ‘Aeromobil 3.0’ boasts a 100-horsepower Rotax engine that helps to hoist the car up to 9,800 feet (any further and a pressurized cabin is required).



As far as space-age construction is concern, the flying car is composed of mainly carbon fiber, which includes the retractable wings. On the ground, the car can achieve a max speed of 70 miles per hour, with the range varying between air and land. The car, however, is reportedly capable of traveling 500 miles before it needs to refuel

Internally, the vehicle seats two, and comes with a bevy of high-tech components such as autopilot features, GPS, and even an emergency parachute system. Depending on whether or not you’re in the air or on the ground, pilots can switch to a steering wheel and vice versa.



Although the prototype has proven itself to be a capable flying machine, there are still many obstacles for the Aeromobil team to overcome before their futuristic dual-purpose vehicle can reach mass production. For one, regulations for such technology are nearly non-existent, which means the Aeromobil must comply with both ground and air regulators. Furthermore, to own one of these vehicles, potential buyers will have to fork over cash that’s comparable to the price of most supercars.



There’s no timetable on when we might be able to see a consumer-ready Aeromobil hovering above us, but the company’s head of public relation thinks that the technology is there and that we’re only a few years away from cruising on land and skies.

Source: aeromobil



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