While some automakers look towards today's infrastructure of roads for the future of transportation, multiple companies are instead looking towards the sky.
One of these is Neva Aerospace which used last week's 2017 Paris auto show to reveal its take on the future of transportation, and it's yet another flying car. It's called the Air Quad One, an electric "flying quad" that's expected to weigh around 1,100 pounds in production form.
Neva Aerospace says its flying car will be capable of flying for up to 20 or 30 minutes, travel at speeds up to 50 mph, and climb 3,000 feet in the air. The company also says the Air Quad One can be used for a variety of purposes from outdoor recreational activities, or what it calls "extreme sports and leisure," parcel transportation, defense, emergency services, and more.
Its specifications could make for a relatively inexpensive price tag, too, which would make it the closest thing to a production flying car.
To compliment the electric version, Neva Aerospace plans to build a hybrid version to provide one-hour flight times. Both versions will use electric turbofans to perform vertical take-off and landing procedures (VTOL), something that is becoming a pre-requisite in the nascent flying car industry.
The one thing holding back small personal aircraft like this is air traffic control. Neva Aerospace states that it is currently working with regulators and pilots "to seek light aircraft certification within the USA(FAA) and EU (EASA) for the first users." Additionally, the Air Quad One will have 24/7 traffic management support when flying, with an emergency sat-com connection, the company promises.
No word yet on when the Air Quad One will be ready for production.
Source: New flying car concept seeks to revolutionize personal transport
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