A recent report says that by 2050, drones will be able to fly four times as fast as today’s cars, transforming our quality of life. A company in Palo Alto, Lacuna Technologies, is helping cities prepare for such changes. San Jose, for example, is part of a group of 38 cities, known as the Open Mobility Foundation. Its vice chair is Ramses Madou. San Jose’s goal is to be one of the first cities in the world to test drone-powered vehicles.
Opener Flying Car
While this concept of flying cars may seem futuristic, it is not too far off. A company called Opener Aerospace is developing a personal aerial vehicle that could cost less than an SUV. This vehicle does not require a pilot’s license and could cost the same as an SUV. In the Silicon Valley, Opener is one of many companies working to build “flying cars.”
The company’s CEO, Marcus Leng, has an impressive resume that includes investment from Google co-founder Larry Page. He began developing his concept in his backyard while living outside Toronto. He later relocated his program to Silicon Valley, and with the help of Google co-founder Larry Page, began to work on his eVTOL vehicle. As of now, the company has 25 employees, many of whom are fresh out of college.
VoloCity
The concept of a flying car is still in the early stages. But the technology behind it is impressive, and the VoloCity Silicon Valley Flying Car is backed by Google co-founder Larry Page. The group hopes to have a manned prototype ready by the end of the year, and the car might even be used to light the Olympic flame in Tokyo next year. Another start-up that is developing a flying car is Uber, which recently announced plans to offer it to its customers.
The VoloCity team also hopes to produce a flying car for the general public. The company has been developing flying car prototypes for about 10 years and is backed by the largest software producer in Turkey. Despite being a start-up, AirCar is aiming higher than governments and has already completed over 1,000 small-scale tests and started working on full-sized prototypes. But this is not without controversy.
GyroDrive
The GyroDrive Silicon Valley Flying Car is based on a gyroplane, which is essentially a miniature helicopter with an aeroplane-like “pusher propeller” to move. The company has bought and assembled these kits from a German firm and will install a system that will let the pilot-driver change from a petrol engine to an electric one. As a result, the GyroDrive can travel up to 600 km, with a range of nearly 100 miles.
The GyroDrive is designed to be converted into a road car after landing. It requires only a few adjustments to the rotating blades and pulling out the built-in license plate. A variety of flying cars are being developed around the world, with different costs and features. In the Czech Republic, the GyroDrive was recently road-certified, and the owner, Pavel Brezina, has high ambitions for the technology.
Aska
The NFT, or the New Flight Technologies, company is selling the four-seat Aska eVTOL vehicle to the public. The company holds regular Founders Club meetings and is currently accepting members. Each Founders Club member receives one share of the company and will be invited to regular consultation meetings. The company also plans to launch production of a full-scale Aska prototype in 2021, and plans to begin ground testing in early 2022.
The Aska Flying Car’s design looks a lot like Archer and Joby Aviation models. While it’s meant for on-road driving, it’s also equipped with a set of vertical-lift propellers and tilting wings. It also uses dual energy sources, which are used to recharge the batteries in flight. The electric motors in the Aska Flying Car’s wings provide thrust for the vehicle during cruise and vertical flight.
Larry Page’s flying car
A company in California’s Silicon Valley is developing electric flying cars, but the project has been dogged by many setbacks. Google co-founder Larry Page recently announced that his company is developing a new electric aerial taxi service for New Zealand. Although flying cars are not yet as common as Google, the self-piloting battery-powered vehicles resemble helicopter-aircraft hybrids called tiltrotors. They’re expected to be ready for commercial use within three years.
The Flyer is a concept vehicle aimed at promoting the use of flying vehicles as a form of transportation. It’s also one of many concept vehicles being tested by Uber and other companies. Larry Page, who co-founded Google in 1998, has a personal interest in flying cars, and he has funded a few startups to advance this technology. Among these companies are Kitty Hawk, which plans to build a larger version of the Heaviside. The aircraft will be able to seat two passengers and fly autonomously, but will also be overseen by a remote pilot. The remote pilot will communicate with air traffic controllers, deal with multiple aircraft at once, and deal with any situations that the self-piloting aircraft can’t handle.
