Flying car racing: will it be real in 2022

Company Alauda aeronautics plans to arrange first races on flying cars. She recently successfully tested the world’s first Airspeeder Mk3 remote-controlled flying race car (work has now been completed on a manned Mk4 model) and plans to host the first races in 2021, called EXA… The maximum speed of the Airspeeder series vehicles will be around 240 km / h.

The three competitions will take place in different locations (not yet announced), with up to four teams of two pilots each taking part. Alauda intends to allow participants to make any modifications to the original vehicles, but with prior approval.

The first EXA competition will feature remote-controlled flying cars, and a manned competition is planned for 2022.

About flying cars from different countries

Airspeeder Mk3 (Australia)

Equipped with four pairs of propellers, this vertical takeoff electric flying car is a cross between a drone and an F-1. Its power is 96 kWh (130.5 hp), weight – about 130 kg, reaches a speed of 100 km / h in less than 3 seconds, climb up to 500 m. The body is made of lightweight and durable carbon fiber … The flight is carried out by a vertical take-off and landing system (VTOL). Recharge – from batteries, which need no more than 20 seconds to be replaced. One charge lasts for 10-15 minutes. The vehicle is equipped with lidar and radar to avoid collisions.

Carcopter (France)

A human-driven full-fledged flying electric car powered by hydrogen is capable of speeds in excess of 241 km / h. The hydrogen energy system was chosen for the sake of efficiency and environmental friendliness of flights.

AeroMobil (Slovakia)

The car is currently under development. Movement on the ground will be driven by an electric motor, and a gasoline engine will turn on in the air. After landing, the wings fold back.

Liberty (Holland)

A compact three-wheeled vehicle, it can first drive on the highway and then take off using a folding propeller. To create vertical thrust, it uses a rotor like a helicopter, and the horizontal speed is communicated to it by a pushing propeller located at the rear. The car is equipped with two 100 hp engines. On the ground, the car uses one of two engines and is capable of accelerating to 160 km / h, that is, the driver can land and immediately continue to the destination.

TF-X (USA)

Flying car with folding wings (folded after flight). The car has a gasoline engine and can reach speeds of up to 113 km / h on the highway and up to 160 km / h in the air. Conforms to US standards for automobiles and aircraft. The disadvantages of this car are the high price ($ 280 thousand) and the fact that takeoff and landing are possible only at the airport. At the moment, a model with a propeller for vertical take-off and landing is being developed.

Advantages and Disadvantages Compared to Conventional Cars

So, there are already a lot of flying car projects. Why are we still not flying Uber?
Legal regulation can become an obstacle to the introduction of flying cars. It will take years to come up with clear instructions that pilots can use. The cost of error or breakdown when flying an object is much higher than when controlling ground transportation. It will also require owners of flying cars to have a flying license – another obstacle to the massive use of such cars.

Still from the film “The Fifth Element” (1997)

But even if these conditions are met and there will be a lot of such cars, traffic jams similar to road traffic jams will form in the air. Therefore, a more realistic and convenient option in the future is to use flying cars as taxis.

According to rough forecasts, flying taxis will enter service in the next few years in countries such as Russia (Moscow), USA, Europe, Japan, China, UAE (Dubai), South Korea (Seoul). At present, states are already conducting the first tests and test flights. So, more recently in Europe experienced flying car AirCar – it covered the distance of 70 km between Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, and the airport of Nitra in 35 minutes.

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