Flying Cars Could Hit the Skies by 2018

The PAL-V is the world's first flying car to hit the consumer market and these flying cars could hit the skies by 2018.

The PAL-V is not the only flying car company that is planning to get airborne in the next couple of years as companies such as AeroMobil, and Terrafugia are also planning to launch their own versions of these futuristic aero-vehicles.

Flying cars by 2018

The Personal Air Land Vehicle (PAL-V) Liberty is likely to be the first flying car intended for general adoption and real world application.

The first PAL-V model was developed in 2012 and the company plans to deliver its first car by the end of 2018. Within the first year of production they hope to produce 50 to 100 models and a further few hundred by 2020.

The planned price is €299,000 EUR ($335,250 USD) for the sport version and €499,000 EUR ($559,500 USD) for the first edition.

Pilots Licence Required

Cost isn’t the only consideration if you are contemplating buying a flying car. Future customers will need to acquire both a flying licence and a driving license before they can use the vehicle.

Each car will be required to undergo 150 hours of flight testing before being approved by regulators and the industry.

The PAL-V is only one of many flying cars initiatives in development at the moment. As the MyVehicle.ie blog posted before, Toyota is planning to bring a flying car to the 2020 Toyko Olympics although the end goal for the Toyota model may be just to carry the Olympic torch, rather than being destined for mass production.

AeroMobil, and Terrafugia both use propulsion systems that are found on regular aeroplanes as opposed to the Pal-V’s gyrocopter technology for take off. Aeromobil are already accepting pre-orders for 2020, while Terrafugia is expected to deliver their first aircraft in 2019.

It is looking very likely that flying cars will be the future of transport and this year, 2017 will be a breakthrough year for flying cars. With these new flying cars, it would greatly decrease traffic congestion, cut down airport flight times and provide alternatives for people living a long way from work. Flying cars would also become a means of transport in countries where there is a lack the infrastructure for consistent large scale flights.

Obstacles to be overcome first

Not everyone is so sure about flying cars though. Elon Musk who is the founder of Tesla isn’t so sure flying cars are the future of transport. He told Bloomberg’s Max Chafkin:

“Obviously, I like flying things, but it’s difficult to imagine the flying car becoming a scalable solution.”

Some of the main criticisms of the flying car concept is the fact that it would need to produce a lot of down force to stay in the sky. This down force inevitably produces a lot of noise and wind turbulence and may well be more dangerous than road cars.

If a flying car was to be involved in an accident or have some other catastrophic failure, passengers and debris could quite literally end up falling from the sky. The PAL-V has handled the the first issue with its gyrocopter, which keeps speed in check and is a key safety feature.

Before we see flying cars in an airspace near us, there are some major obstacles the industry needs to overcome first. While the interest in these new futuristic aircraft is encouraging, we shouldn’t take the acceptance of any pre-orders for flying cars as being interchangeable with government policy or even approval.

(As always, if you or a family member are considering buying a used car, don’t buy until you run a car check report with MyVehicle.ie where you will find out the true history of the vehicle.)

Author

Justin Kavanagh
Justin Kavanagh is a recognised leader in automotive intelligence and vehicle data supply to the entire motor industry. He has almost 20 years experience in building systems from the ground up. As the Managing Director of Vehicle Management System, he understands the need and importance of trustworthy and reliable vehicle history and advice to both the trade and the public.
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