Flying cars will be on the roads (or, in the air) by the end of 2018 after one company started taking orders for the first such vehicles.
As The Independent reports, PAL-V is taking orders for its Liberty Sport and Liberty Pioneer vehicles, which both have three wheels, two seats and are able to reach airborne speeds of up to 112mph.
Both models have a retractable rotor blade and twin engines, one for driving on the ground and the other for flying, meaning they closely resemble a downsized helicopter. Whilst we know they can do a shade over 100mph in the air, the Liberty tops out at 100mph on the road and has acceleration of 0-62mph in nine seconds. It also has a range of 817 miles and fuel efficiency of 31mpg on the road.
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The Dutch Manufacturer says it takes just 10 minutes to go from driving it on the road to getting it in the air and once in the sky it possesses a range of 310 miles.
“After years of hard work, beating the technical and qualification challenges, our team succeeded in creating an innovative flying car that complies with existing safety standards determined by regulatory bodies around the world,” said Robert Dingemanse, the CEO of PAL-V.
The bad news for anyone looking to get into the air is that the revolutionary vehicle-cum-aircraft comes in at a hefty price. Sport base models start at $400,000 (around £320,000) whereas the Pioneer costs an eye-watering $600,000 (around £480,000), the steep increase in price giving buyers access to training sessions, power heating, and an electronic in-flight display.
If you’re a little short on cash and still want a slice of the action, you can put down a non-refundable deposit of $10,000 for the Sport or $25,000 for the Pioneer and pay the remainder later. The vehicle is slated to start shipping towards the end of 2018 so get saving those pennies now.
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Would you buy a flying car? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
