While the arguments for flying cars are solid, the vehicles themselves have, in the past, been less so. Developing a working, and safe, flying car has been somewhat difficult and it is only in recent years that the technology – in construction materials, safety measures, computing power and economically viable power generation – has become such that flying vehicles can be discussed seriously. And the discussions certainly are serious, with big business taking a big interest in the sector. Last year, Uber announced that it had partnered with a company called Aurora Flight Sciences to develop electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft for its Uber Elevate Network – a flying ‘taxi’ network that will allow short-distance travel for commuters and which the company reportedly aims to have in service in Los Angeles by 2020. Technology giant Intel has partnered with German company Volocopter whose Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) vehicle recently conducted test flights in Dubai. Meanwhile, Airbus, the European aerospace giant, has flown into the fray with its Vahana flying taxi vehicle that was successfully tested in January. Airbus has also developed a radical transportation concept called the Pop.Up. Automotive companies are getting involved too. Toyota has invested in a start-up company called Cartivator that is developing a small, one-person vehicle called Skydrive, while Chinese company Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., owners of Volvo, last year bought American flying car developer Terrafugia. As has been proven with the enormous investments being made in the development of electric and autonomous vehicles, the possibilities offered by new technology and concepts helps draw in the influence, expertise and money of 18 | Motor Trader March 2018
industrial heavyweights, and already there is the whiff of inevitability about flying cars becoming part of the fabric of our society – and not in some dim and distant Jetsons-like future. There are, of course, issues that the flying car industry must tackle before it can get truly off the ground. Regulatory issues must be addressed – questions about safety, licensing, autonomy, flight paths and so on must be answered at a governmental level. And there is also the issue of public acceptance – no new idea has a chance of becoming a reality if the public do not embrace it. But there is evidence that the public is excited about the possibilities. A 2017 University of Michigan survey of public opinion regarding flying cars yielded some intriguing results and among its key findings were that most respondents had a desire to use them, and while many cited safety concerns, a hefty majority - 70 per cent - were either very positive, positive or neutral about the technology. That’s pretty encouraging.
READ THE SURVEY HERE
WHERE WE’RE GOING WE DON’T NEED ROADS At the end of the film Back To The Future, the character of Doc Brown, at the wheel of his flying DeLorean DMC-12, says, ‘Where we’re going we don’t need roads’, and it is possible that a future in which the sky is filled with drones, flying cars, flying taxis and the like is one that will come to pass. So, what will these vehicles look like? Well here are just a few of the many concepts and ideas currently being developed or being tested.