Are flying cars officially real?
A prototype flying car has officially completed a test flight between two cities, ABC 7 reports.
The Klein Vision AirCar spent 35 minutes airborne between two cities in Slovakia, Nitra, and the capital Bratislava.
According to Klein Vision, the AirCar Prototype 1 has now completed over 50 hours of test flights which includes flying at 8,200 feet and reaching a maximum cruising speed of 190 kilometers.
Its engine is powered by a 160 horsepower BMW engine and comes equipped with a fixed propeller which allows it to transform from aircraft to road vehicle in less than three minutes.
Upon landing in Bratislava on Monday (June 28), once the aircraft transformed into a car, it was driven into the city center by Klein Vision CEO Stefan Klein and company co-founder Anton Zajac.
“AirCar is no longer just a proof of concept,” said Zajac in a press release. “It has turned science fiction into a reality.”
Klein Vision is also developing a model called the AirCar Prototype 2 which will have a 300 horsepower engine. They anticipate that the car will be able to cruise at 186 miles per hour and have a range of 621 miles.
Within the next few years, Klein Vision will develop three-and-four seater models of the AirCar along with twin-engine and amphibious versions.
While they are the first to successfully get a car in the air, they are among a growing number of companies that are exploring the potential of flying vehicles despite roadblocks like safety and reliability.
It is imperative that flying vehicles operate in crowded airspace, near small drones and traditional airplanes. The regulatory framework needed could take years.
Last year Hyundai and Uber revealed plans for an electric flying taxi during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
CEO of Hyundai’s European unit, Michael Cole, announced that the South Korean automaker is working “very actively” on the program Tuesday (June 29).
Looks like we will soon have flying cars after all!
