Flying cars are now a reality, and those who have fantasized about owning such can now truly get their hands on one by 2019. Chinese manufacturer Geely announced on Monday that it is already accepting orders for its flying car, created by Terrafugia, which is an MIT-founded brand.
The Chinese company is also the owner of Volvo, so it is quite established in the automobile industry. With news of its now opened ordering facility for flying cars, it will be not a surprise if many indeed place their orders. The first model is said to be marketed in 2019, just a few months away from now.
Details on the said flying care are quite a few as of the moment. The price is not also not yet announced. However, as early as today, those excited about flying their way to work can already glean what the car will look like from an official blurb produced by the company. First and foremost, it is called "Transition."
According to the blurb, said "Transition" makes the dream of owning a flying car come true. The flying car can seat two people, and it can convert from being in the drive mode to the flight mode. This means users can have the flexibility of driving by land or by air. Conversion is as quick as just pushing a button, too.
The blurb also mentioned that the flying car would not require hangar storage and eliminate the hassle of ground transportation. It also removes the need for aviation fuel because the Transition can be filled with automotive gas and stored at the home garage.
Apart from China, Singapore also reportedly has a flying taxi set to be trialed in the second half of 2019. The company behind the innovation is Volocopter. Said trial would be supported by the local authorities.
According to the CEO of Volocopter, Florian Reuter, Singapore is a logical partner because it is known in both technology and city development. According to the Strait Times, Singapore is also set to introduce robot buses and shuttles by 2020. With all these developments in the coming years, driverless cars, even flying ones might be the norm one day - eliminating ground traffic and congestion issues, maybe increasing the productivity of many.
What needs to be done now is for these innovations to be tested and ensured for safety. Issues such as air traffic instead of ground traffic should already be assessed and prepared for now.
in the meantime, pre-orders can be done on Terrafugia's website by those who could not wait.
