An Actual Flying Car Just Became Street Legal
Oct 30, 2020 14:34:28 #
An Actual Flying Car Just Became Street Legal
The next goal: aviation certification.
According to the predictions in the blockbuster science-fiction film Back To The Future, we're only about five years behind. In Part 2 of the classic film, which came out in 1989, Emmett Brown aka 'Doc' and his sidekick, Marty McFly, traveled to the year 2015 in a DMC DeLorean time machine. For those watching the movie at the time, it seemed like we may just get there; instead, we're still fumbling with fully autonomous driving tech in 2020.
Nevertheless, a company called PAL-V has developed the PAL-V Liberty, which it says "inaugurates the age of the flying car." Yes, it really does fly and, in even bigger news, it's been certified as street legal in Europe.
Let's get some of the eye-widening technical details out of the way. The Liberty can seat two people and is around 157 inches long. It measures 78.7 inches in width and 66.9 inches in height. Those are the road dimensions, though, because in Flight Mode, the rotor's 423-inch diameter would be more than a minor issue when navigating congested city streets.
In Drive Mode, the Liberty will make it to 62 mph (100 km/h) in under nine seconds, while in flight mode, it can reach a top speed of around 112 mph and has a range of about 310 miles. Few mainstream manufacturers have attempted flying cars, although Audi - better known for non-flying luxury sedans like the A6 and A8 - did give it ago, with much less pleasing results.
These incredible capabilities would mean nothing if the Liberty couldn't actually be used on public roads, but that's all changed now. "We have been cooperating with the road authorities for many years to reach this milestone," said CTO Mike Stekelenburg. "The excitement you feel in the team is huge."
The next step for the groundbreaking flying car is its aviation certification with EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency), a milestone that is expected to be reached in 2022. Another 150 hours of flight testing and over 1200 test reports need to be completed before that happens. Following this, customer deliveries will begin. The Doc would be proud. Cost = $500,000 +
https://carbuzz.com/news/an-actual-flying-car-just-became-street-legal
The next goal: aviation certification.
According to the predictions in the blockbuster science-fiction film Back To The Future, we're only about five years behind. In Part 2 of the classic film, which came out in 1989, Emmett Brown aka 'Doc' and his sidekick, Marty McFly, traveled to the year 2015 in a DMC DeLorean time machine. For those watching the movie at the time, it seemed like we may just get there; instead, we're still fumbling with fully autonomous driving tech in 2020.
Nevertheless, a company called PAL-V has developed the PAL-V Liberty, which it says "inaugurates the age of the flying car." Yes, it really does fly and, in even bigger news, it's been certified as street legal in Europe.
Let's get some of the eye-widening technical details out of the way. The Liberty can seat two people and is around 157 inches long. It measures 78.7 inches in width and 66.9 inches in height. Those are the road dimensions, though, because in Flight Mode, the rotor's 423-inch diameter would be more than a minor issue when navigating congested city streets.
In Drive Mode, the Liberty will make it to 62 mph (100 km/h) in under nine seconds, while in flight mode, it can reach a top speed of around 112 mph and has a range of about 310 miles. Few mainstream manufacturers have attempted flying cars, although Audi - better known for non-flying luxury sedans like the A6 and A8 - did give it ago, with much less pleasing results.
These incredible capabilities would mean nothing if the Liberty couldn't actually be used on public roads, but that's all changed now. "We have been cooperating with the road authorities for many years to reach this milestone," said CTO Mike Stekelenburg. "The excitement you feel in the team is huge."
The next step for the groundbreaking flying car is its aviation certification with EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency), a milestone that is expected to be reached in 2022. Another 150 hours of flight testing and over 1200 test reports need to be completed before that happens. Following this, customer deliveries will begin. The Doc would be proud. Cost = $500,000 +
https://carbuzz.com/news/an-actual-flying-car-just-became-street-legal
Oct 30, 2020 14:45:37 #
Oldsailor65 wrote:
An Actual Flying Car Just Became Street Legal br ... (show quote)
Whoa! So we'll have air jams🤣🤣😁
Oct 30, 2020 14:57:32 #
Oldsailor65 wrote:
An Actual Flying Car Just Became Street Legal br ... (show quote)
Lyft will have a whole new meaning.
Oct 30, 2020 15:07:22 #
Marty 2020 wrote:
Lyft will have a whole new meaning.
$500,000......people who can afford them will probably have a Chauffeur licensed to take them.
Oct 30, 2020 15:30:46 #
I used to drive people to their medical appointments.
A lot of them had appointments in Boston and quite often their appointments came during the Boston rush hours where traffic was bumper to bumper and not just on the free-way.
I often thought how nice it would be to take off like a helicopter and just fly strait to my destination.
But then I thought, the instant I took off, that the traffic would immediately fill in the space that I just left.
So once I took off, there's no way I'd be able to get back. So I'd be committed to staying in the air.
Traffic doesn't want you to change lanes from right to left or left to right, Can you imagine trying to get back into traffic from above?
Then, once you get to your destination, how do you land?
The city streets are just as crowded as the free-way and just as uncooperative.
So if they won't let you back into traffic, do you hover there until you run out of gas?
How do you land on a pitched roof or a flat roof that doesn't have access to the floors below.
Are the roofs strong enough to carry the weight of the cars it wasn't designed to hold.
What happens if more than one car wants to land on the same roof?
I don't think that people have really thought this through.
A lot of them had appointments in Boston and quite often their appointments came during the Boston rush hours where traffic was bumper to bumper and not just on the free-way.
I often thought how nice it would be to take off like a helicopter and just fly strait to my destination.
But then I thought, the instant I took off, that the traffic would immediately fill in the space that I just left.
So once I took off, there's no way I'd be able to get back. So I'd be committed to staying in the air.
Traffic doesn't want you to change lanes from right to left or left to right, Can you imagine trying to get back into traffic from above?
Then, once you get to your destination, how do you land?
The city streets are just as crowded as the free-way and just as uncooperative.
So if they won't let you back into traffic, do you hover there until you run out of gas?
How do you land on a pitched roof or a flat roof that doesn't have access to the floors below.
Are the roofs strong enough to carry the weight of the cars it wasn't designed to hold.
What happens if more than one car wants to land on the same roof?
I don't think that people have really thought this through.
Oct 30, 2020 15:32:41 #
Homestead wrote:
I used to drive people to their medical appointmen... (show quote)
Yes, definitely a new infrastructure issue
Oct 30, 2020 16:16:42 #
debeda wrote:
Yes, definitely a new infrastructure issue
... and those guys that direct traffic in those green vests ... will have to use jet packs ... so lots of new training also ..
Oct 30, 2020 16:20:54 #
CarryOn wrote:
... and those guys that direct traffic in those green vests ... will have to use jet packs ... so lots of new training also ..
TRUE👍😁😁
If you want to reply, then register here. Registration is free and your account is created instantly, so you can post right away.