Important Innovations

  Holland's PAL-V                                                        Source:  PAL-V Authorized on Roads in the Netherlands The world's first commercial flying car - the PAL-V Liberty made by Dutch company PAL-V - has been approved for use on roads in the Netherlands.  The Liberty is a gyrocopter.  Rotors on the top of the vehicle provide it lift to fly.  The rotors are powered by a separate propeller engine in the back of the vehicle.  Liberty can hover like a helicopter but it doesn't take-off and land vertically like a helicopter.  It needs a runway of at least 590 feet to gain speed for take-off and 100 feet of runway for landing. Drive & Fly Time The Liberty can drive up to 99 mph on the road and when flying has a maximum speed of 112 mph.  Switching from the driving to the flying mode takes a few minutes.  Clearance will be needed from regulators for flying the flying car.  PAL-V says they expect to get clearance from the European Aviation Safety Agency in 2022

Boeing & Porsche Developing Electric Flying Car Source:  Porsche-Boeing flying car Artist Rendering Moving into the 3rd Dimension of Travel Aerospace giant Boeing and luxury sports car maker Porsche have teamed up to create a premier electric flying car.  They say that they are exploring the premium urban air mobility market through the extension  of "urban traffic into the airspace." The car-plane combination is clearly targeted at big city commuters who would relish a lift above traffic snarled streets. Electric VTOL Their goal  is to create a fully electric vehicle that is capable of vertical takeoff and landings - a VTOL.  Both companies view this as a potentially key market segment of the future.  They expect the flying car market to take off in 2025. VW Going Electric Germany-based Porsche is owned by Volkswagen, the world's largest automaker.  VW has committed to building 22 million electric vehicles across its brands over the nex

Rolls-Royce's Electric Flying Car Source:  Rolls-Royce Air Taxis Rolls-Royce is prototyping an all electric flying car.  It's an EVTOL or electric vertical take off and landing air taxi concept.  The vehicle could carry 5 passengers at speeds up to 250 mph for distances up to 500 miles.  The company promises to produce a vehicle prototype by mid 2020. Storied Jet Engine History Rolls-Royce says it intends to play a leading role in the big, emerging flying car market given their expertise in electric technologies and aviation. They're exploring a range of electric and hybrid personal air mobility systems. The British based company makes commercial jet engines.  Rolls Royce Motor Cars is now owned by BMW and is not associated with this effort. Technology The concept vehicle will be powered by 6 electric propellers with low noise levels.  To take off and land vertically, the wings will rotate 90 degrees.  When the vehicle reaches cruising altitude, the propeller

Japanese Innovation and Ingenuity Combining Flying and Driving Vehicles Source:  Cartivator's Skydrive Volunteer Team "Cartivator" Behind Skydrive This week in Las Vegas at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show, flying cars will be taking center stage.  There is a standout vehicle concept debuting from Japan for a number of reasons. The design is extraordinary, the volunteer team behind it crowdsourced their funding which now includes Toyota, they have a great business plan and the team and Toyota want to use the Skydrive to light the flame and start the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.  For a great news blog on this, go to  Important Innovations Collection: Japanese Flying Car - The Skydrive : Crowdfunded, Toyota-backed, Volunteer Team Building a Flying Car Source:  Cartivator's Concept Flying Car Skydrive Cartivator Inn...

Design with Rotors that Pop Out of the Wheels Toyota's Flying Car Design Concept Toyota's Quadcopter Toyota has applied for a patent on its flying car design.  The wheels have spring-loaded, pop out helicopter rotors.  It has the appearance of a quadcopter.  If you decide you want to fly and get out of a traffic jam, you switch on the flying mode.  The wheels start to fold upwards.  Then, the wheels sprout rotor blades and spin up, providing lift. Drives Like a Tank According to the patent filing, the wheels and rotors would be electric powered.  It's not clear what type of engine would generate the electricity.  The source could be hydrogen fuel cells, EV batteries or some type of combustion engine.  In driving mode, the flying car would steer in a manner similar to tracked vehicles such as a tank. Crowded Skies There are quite a few flying cars getting close to entering the airspace.  Volvo announced it will start selling sister company Terrafugia's fl

PAL-V's Liberty is Ready In 1927, Henry Ford said:  "Mark my words.  A combination airplane and motor car is coming.  You may smile, but it will come."  Talk about a futurist!  He was right on, off  by about 90 years, but the time is now. The Liberty:  Ready for Production, Take-off and Driving This is a second hot prototype flying car we wanted to focus on.  It's the creation of the Netherlands based company PAL-V.  Called The Liberty, the developers claim it's production ready, making it a global first.  And they say it's "Licensed to Thrill". Distinctive Design As you can see in the artist's rendering, the Liberty has a design that's different from other flying car prototypes.  It looks like a helicopter.  And, in fact, there's a center mounted rotor blade on top.  The big deal is that it's production ready.  All it awaits is full certification, which it expects in 2019.  The company says it will start delivering