The long-dreamed of flying cars are around the corner, which are considered “the most significant aviation development since the advent of the jet age 60 years ago.”
Were it not for the coronavirus pandemic, the world would have seen a dozen models debuting in major cities.
However, Japan has beaten the rest of the pack, launching in Tokyo in the last week of August the single-seater SD-03 flying car prototype, operated by a test pilot.
The company, SkyDrive Inc., was backed by auto giant Toyota, construction company Obayashi, electronics company NEC, petroleum conglomerate Eneos, the Development Bank of Japan and others.
SkyDrive SD-03, inspired by Luke Skywalker’s Land Speeder and the X-wing Fighter of Star Wars fame, reportedly will morph into a two-seater commercial model by 2023.
Many of the big names in aircraft and car manufacturing industries, including a long list of startups, are entering the race toward producing consumer-ready flying cars and air taxis.
Porsche and Boeing estimated that commercial passenger drones will hit the market around 2025, and several concept models are supposedly ready for takeoff as early as 2021.
Flying cars on trial
Out of 20 models on the list, here are five flying cars undergoing trials.
1. AeroMobil, a Slovak prototype roadable aircraft, designed by Štefan Klein and first flown in 2013. It was produced by AeroMobil s.r.o.
2. Personal Air and Land Vehicle (PAL-V), a Dutch company, is involved in the development of the first commercial flying car, the PAL-V Liberty. It is a compact two-person aircraft that can travel on public roads.
3. Ehang 184 is claimed to be the first passenger drone. China-made, it is an autonomous copter, which costs between $200,000 and $300,000. It can carry passengers up to 260 pounds for 23 minutes on a single charge.
4. Terrafugia TF-X is an autonomous flying car under development by Boston-based Terrafugia. The TF-X seats four passengers and uses an engine combined with two electric motors for propulsion.
5. Audi Pop.Up Next is a conceptual unmanned flying electric vehicle that can move both on the ground and through the air.
It was jointly developed by German automaker Audi AG and Airbus, the company that designs Italdesign Giugiaro. It was first presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 2018.
AeroMobil has its model originally set to be released this year with a price tag of $1.2 million to $1.6 million.
However, the cost is expected to dramatically go down once commercial scale is attained. The median average is $300,000, but manufacturers aim their product to equal an SUV, which is between $20,000 to $50,000.
Models
A flying car could be brought out of the garage and driven off to work. Some may require a short runway, or the street itself.
Some models have wing-like contraption that extends from somewhere in the body where the rotors are attached, and the vehicle takes to the air after gaining speed.
Honeywell’s flying car concept is named Urban Air Mobility (UAM).
Honeywell is at the leading edge of this revolution in UAM transportation and, in 2019, has partnered with Vertical Aerospace to provide flight deck technologies for UAM.
The company is designing the future landing pads in homes or offices.
There are also models that do not convert into cars—such as the hexacopter with tilting rotors; octocopter with rear propeller; single-rotor gyrocopter; folding-wing short takeoff and landing (STOL); quadcopter with tilting rotors; Volocopter 18-rotor copter; or the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle.
The MIT Technical Review published drone-like models with anywhere from 4 rotors to 18 rotors keeping them aloft. Most are fixed-wing craft with propellers that point upwards for vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL), and tilt forward for flight.
Artificial intelligence
These models have become a reality at the precise confluence of several factors: the development of artificial intelligence, the availability of lithium-ion battery, the mass production of composite materials, such as carbon fiber, and the advances in avionics.
At the moment, an hour-long flight could be achieved by a flying car before it recharges.
Dramatic advances in battery technology, like those used in Tesla cars, would hopefully extend their flight time and distance.
At the moment, some vehicles could be powered by a combination of turbine and electric power, and for a start, pilot-assisted.
Eventually, majority of these vehicle would be completely autonomous for complete safety—like parachutes—and could run on battery power alone.
Filipino-made VTOL
Kyxz Mendoza, a Filipino engineer and hobbyist, came up with Milenya, a VTOL ultralight aircraft.
He has partnered with an Australian company, Star 8 International, in developing his “multicopter”/flying vehicle, the Koncepto Milenya.
They plan to develop commercial versions and has eyed Hong Kong, Europe and Australia as markets.
Star 8 CEO and President Jacob Maimon, said they plan to call it ““electric manned aerial vehicle,” which can accommodate two passengers with a combined weight of 200 kg that hover up in mid-air for about an hour.
USA Today said Paramount Miami World Center, developer of the $600 million, 60-story complex, installed an observation deck at the top that doubles as a landing pad for VTOL vehicles. The tower was set to have its grand opening early this year.
Age of urban air mobility
Honeywell said the age of urban air mobility is upon us and the company is ready to lend its expertise in providing combined technologies in autonomous flight, avionics, electric and hybrid-electric propulsion, detect-and-avoid systems, actuation, flight infrastructure and connectivity.
These are the unique needs of unmanned aerial systems and UAM vehicles. Some or all of these latest technologies are incorporated in any of the dozens of tiny aerial vehicles that are about to be offered to the public.
Honeywell’s 100-year-plus history and deep pocket give it the pioneering edge in the newest game in town.
“UAM represents the biggest disruption in aviation since the dawn of the jet age in the 1960s,” said Michael Cervenka, CEO of Vertical Aerospace.
Not far behind
Airbus and Boeing are not far behind. Both have projects under way and smaller companies follow in their wake.
However, the timeline for the launch of flying cars and drones have been impacted by the pandemic.
Germany’s Volocopter has originally planned to start trials of a flying taxi in Singapore this year.
Uber has claimed it will start test runs next year for a service between Frisco, Texas and the Dallas-Fort Worth airpor. It also plans to start commercial flights in 2023, MIT Technical Review said.
Porsche and Boeing’s subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences, will work together to develop a luxury electric flying car that can fly short hops across cities.
Aurora has been hard at work at testing its first autonomous electric aircraft in October 2019.
Robotaxis ready by 2025
Auto and tech industry experts predict it will take at least 12 years before fully autonomous flying cars are sold to private buyers.
Industry insiders, however, think robotaxis will not be ready for widespread public use until 2025.
The paramount concern of flying car builders at the moment is safety because a single accident would set back the fledgling industry by God knows how long.
Also, aviation bodies have yet to come up with new rules and regulations to address their specific needs, such as noise abatement, pollution, and aerial tracks like those used by commercial airplanes.
Greener than e-cars
“These fantasy-like vehicles are encroaching on the outer fringes of reality,” according to a new study in Nature.
It said that for some journeys, flying cars could eventually be greener than even electric road cars as they are cutting emissions, while also reducing traffic on increasingly busy roads.
Some are even predicting that it would surpass the autonomous electric cars in popularity, which had to deal with many obstructions, like people, other cars and lamp posts.
And yes, in the sky, there are no obstructions once an altitude is sufficiently reached.
Image credits: Skydrive