This Austin, Texas-based Company Could Make Flying Cars a Reality

Flying cars have long been thought of as a technology of the future, but as Austin, Texas-based company LIFT is revealing, flying cars may become a real-world possibility within the next decade.
Written by Jason Crosby
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
It’s everyone’s dream, straight out of a scene from a science-fiction movie—flying cars. But one company in Austin, TX is working hard to make them an affordable reality for drivers everywhere. LIFT Aircraft Inc. is a startup that’s attempting to commercialize what it’s calling electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, or eVTOL, for people everywhere. 
But before you get too excited, it’s worth noting that it could be some time before these vehicles are available to the public. Learn more about these remarkable
flying cars
, and the
technology
that’s making them a reality. 
Lift Aircraft is on a mission to change the way people travel.

LIFT’s flying car: The HEXA

According to its
website
, the Texas-based startup is focusing its efforts primarily on a model known as the HEXA, which looks similar to a drone, and flies like one, too. 
Their design team started their ideas on paper, and then slowly, thanks to 3-D printing technology, has been able to create a real-life mockup, but it’s not quite ready for commercial use
The company has been working alongside the U.S Airforce to test their flying car, which reportedly has: 
  • The ability to take off and land on water 
  • The option to be remotely piloted 
  • triple-redundant flight computers 
  • 18 independent rotors, but can lose functionality of up to six and still be able to maintain flight 
  • An autonomous ballistic parachute, which can deploy from only 40 feet above the ground to slow descent in emergencies
LIFT believes that the HEXA may not only be an environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional cars but may also help to phase out helicopters, costing 1/10 the price to operate and running on zero emissions. Now you might be asking: how can I get one? 
MORE: New York Follows California in Banning New Gas Cars by 2035
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When will flying cars be commercially available? 

It’s hard to know, exactly, but with investors like Jeff Bezos interested in the company’s potential, it’s possible that commercial flying cars may be available within the next decade
What makes LIFT’s HEXA even more appealing is that the vehicle doesn’t require a pilot’s license to fly; it’s classified as an ultralight aircraft by the Federal Aviation Administration. According to
CNBC
, some sources predict that these vehicles may be available for everyday use by 2024, but knowing how their usage will be regulated is difficult to predict. 
What’s more likely, at least in present, is that flying cars like LIFT’s HEXA will be used by first responders or freight carriers to more efficiently move people and cargo to avoid traffic congestion, cutting down on both time and carbon emissions—at least in the case of eVTOLs like the HEX. 

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