Maybe the solution to road traffic issues in major cities have finally arrived but what of air traffic?
The first flying cars are set to go on sale to the public as early as 2015.
Terrafugia has announced its Transition design, which is part sedan, part private jet with two seats, four wheels and wings that fold up so it can be driven like a car, will be on sale in less than two years.
The Massachusetts-based firm has also unveiled plans for a TF-X model that will be small enough to fit in a garage, and won’t need a runway to take off.
Granted, it probably won’t see a lot of public use, as Terrafugia founder and CEO Carl Dietrich sees the vehicle as an optimal option for private pilots in small airports without land transportation. But that doesn’t mean we won’t see them in the fifteenth installment of the Fast & Furious franchise.
A Rotax 912 ULS aircraft engine can switch from operating the rear-mounted propeller to powering the rear wheels. As a car, it can reach a cruising speed of 65 mph, and its air-cruising speed would be around 100 mph. As far as cost goes, the preliminary pricing is set at $279,000. That probably means that the first people to use them recreationally will be rappers and athletes.
This sounds great and all, but somebody wake me up when they release a hoverboard. Or a hover-couch, actually. I need to travel in comfort. Check out a few more concept illustrations below, and get to work designing flying plug-in outlets.
Would you buy one?
