Flying Cars Are Coming—But There’s a Catch
A company in Slovakia has invented a flying car that really works! But you might be prevented from buying one for this reason.
Written by Alex Healey
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
It’s an exciting time to be a futurist and car enthusiast. With the electric revolution in full swing,
new cars
like the Rivian R1T and the Tesla Cybertruck are pushing the boundaries of conventional design, and self-driving tech is improving every year.However, a company named Klein Vision (appropriately sci-fi sounding) has gone a step further, by inventing a
real flying car
!The “AirCar” has been awarded an official Certificate of Airworthiness by the Slovak Transport Authority, after completing 70 hours of "rigorous flight testing” in the Central European country,
The “dual-mode car-aircraft” vehicle could be commercially available later this year, but there is a catch: you’ll need a pilot license to fly one.
A commercially available flying car
MORE: This Austin, Texas-based Company Could Make Flying Cars a Reality
As reported by
CNN
, the AirCar prototype has aced its test flights and can fly at a maximum operating altitude of 18,000 feet. It has completed 200 takeoffs and landings, in addition to showcasing a full range of flight and performance maneuvers.
Klein Vision claims the AirCar has “demonstrated an astonishing static and dynamic stability in the aircraft mode," and meets European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) standards.
Powered by a 1.6L BMW engine and regular gas station fuel, the vehicle should be commercially available to anyone with a pilot license within 12 months. A price tag hasn’t been revealed, but considering the prototype cost just under $2 million, you’re unlikely to see one in the Costco parking lot.
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Will flying cars be widely available in the future?
MORE: Flying Cars Are Real but Will Come With a Crazy Price Tag
AirCar CEO Stefan Klein believes certification has opened the door for mass production, but as CNN explains, this isn’t the first time flying cars have been certified.
The challenge for these companies is scaling up production, from prototype to commercial, without bankrupting themselves in the process. Each vehicle costs a lot to produce, and the demand is extremely hard to gauge, especially when the sticker price is likely to be upwards of seven figures.
Industry insiders are also concerned about the use of internal combustion engines, while traditional carmakers are moving towards electric power.
The environmental impact of lots of small, gas-powered flying cars would be substantial, and if ICE cars are banned altogether, flying cars will be at risk of a similar ban.
Quoted by CNN, chair of the Royal Aeronautical Society, Kyriakos Kourousis, believes that vehicles like the “AirCar” could replace helicopters. But unless we see development of electric or at least hybrid flying cars, they are unlikely to satisfy sustainability targets and become a part of everyday life.
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