Written on September 10, 2008 – 9:09 am | by Bogdan Alex |
Maybe my imagination is that far-fetched at all. Looks like other people dream of frying cars and these dreams could materialize sooner than expected. The guys over at Moller International just unveiled their new hybrid flying car prototype. They call it the Autovolantor which is inspired by the two-seater Ferrari 599 GTB. The prototype adds two pars of wings to the Ferrari design, plus some other improvements to allow for vertical lift offs in case you want to make it in time through some nasty traffic jam. The Autovolantor can fly at speeds up to 150 mph for a short distance (about 15 minutes).

According to Gizmag, the hybrid part of the car refers to its functioning very much like a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle(PHEV) using one of its eight Rotapower engines to generate enough electrical power to drive for up to 40 miles. Which means we still have to stick around the urban areas.

Rumor has it that Moller International was requested to design this vehicle by a wealthy foreign businessman who was unable to commute from the city to his country home due to the overcrowded streets of Moscow. The car constructor estimates that the whole project will require around $5 million in order to be completed. However, once Moller readies the first prototype, production versions of the Autovolantor could be produced for under US$250,000 in modest volumes.

“It seems that it might be practical in some parts of the world, but in our view a roadable aircraft (versus a flying car) is still more practical for the greatest number of people,” said Dr. Paul Moller, founder and President of Moller International. “The Autovolantor is technically possible, but flying it in US cities is not going to be politically acceptable until it has been deployed successfully in other roles and environments. Practical or not, it excites the imagination to think about being able to rise vertically out of a traffic jam and just go!” he concluded.

It’s a step forward, why shouldn’t we agree? Still, we are pretty far from actually moving the entire traffic to, let’s say, several hundred feet above the ground.