Starting next month, people will be able to pre-order one of the first flying cars to ever exist. Soon people will be driving flying cars, or even cars that change gears between driving and flying!
The vehicles are being produced by a big corporation, Terrafugia, which belongs to Volvo. The flying car is named a “Transition.” According to the company, the vehicle can fly through the air for up to 400 miles, reaching a top speed of 200 miles per hour. It is also obviously equipped with another dimension, the ability to move up and down, not just left and right.
One article commented about the release, “There’s not a definite price on it yet, but you can safely assume that if you have to ask, you probably can’t afford one. According to Chinese news agency Xinhua, they’ll be taking pre-orders on them starting from October.”
The “Transition” is a hybrid electric powered vehicle and includes many traditional features that make it easier to be manufactured. It has an internal combustion engine and a lithium phosphate chemistry battery, which Terrafugia says is “much safer than other lithium” batteries.
Before you get your credit cards ready, these type of cars will require the driver to have a kind of license for flying airplanes, but this has not been confirmed. However, until regulations are put into law, the law will probably only allow people who fly airplanes or helicopters to legally use these on the road.
The firm has also made some updates to the two-seat vehicle’s interior, safety systems, motor, and flight instruments. Among the improvements are a hybrid-electric motor, upgraded seats, more luggage storage, improved seat belts, airbags, rear-view cameras, and a new parachute system, as well as “boost’ mode.” There are also plans to introduce a four-door version of the vehicle known as a TF-X later, which won’t require an airport for taking off and landing.
Terrafugia isn’t the only company developing a flying car. Aston Martin revealed the Volante Vision Concept, an autonomous hybrid-electric vehicle capable of vertical take-offs and landings. Kitty Hawk, a startup backed by Google co-founder Larry Page, has begun taking pre-orders for a single-seat recreational model. Other companies include Airbus, Uber, and jet engine maker Rolls-Royce. The future is happening!