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The idea of the flying car is a fantasy that goes back a long way. Projects, more or less serious, have become more and more numerous over the years: the Model A from Alef Aeronautics, the single-seater Jetson One or even the XPENG AEROHT. On the other hand, the flying van project did not yet exist. The American start-up LuftCar, based in Florida, is working on it, and it will run on hydrogen.
It's a van, yet it flies!
Even if the official LuftCar website is quite poor in information, the characteristics of their vehicle are already a little detailed. Their concept is based on a detachable structure with six propellers, which would transform the van into an eVTOL (electric aircraft with vertical take-off and landing).
It will therefore be able to drive on asphalt like any vehicle, but also take off up to 4 000 feet, or approximately 1 220 meters. Given for a range of 480 km in the air and 240 km on the road, it will be able to fly up to 350 km/h.
We must believe that the start-up has succeeded in convincing, since the Philippine car manufacturer eFrancisco Motor Corporation signed a partnership with LuftCar on January 26. The van would be a mobility solution with great potential for getting around the archipelago. The Philippines being an archipelago made up of more than 7,000 islands, travel between them still remains a real problem.
A (too) ambitious project
The first prototype should be ready by the end of the year , and ultimately, the aircraft will be intended more for freight transport and defense missions. Transport of people is planned for later.
Even if the idea does not lack charm, we must admit, we are very far from seeing the van crisscrossing the air. From a regulatory point of view, firstly, it will be necessary to show a certain patience for the machine to be approved by the country's authorities.
Finally, the fact that the company is not able to offer at least a simple photo of their van does not necessarily reassure. Instead, 3D models and other really uninspired drawings. On the other hand, it seems very proud to display its various partners: Berkeley Lab, NASA or Bosch. At worst, it will not be the first (nor the last) entity to propose a flying vehicle that will never fly. Come what may!
- The American start-up LuftCar has imagined a flying van powered by hydrogen.
- However, the lack data, details and images on the project do not really seem to work in LuftCar's favor.
< li>This one is an eVTOL and is already of interest to eFrancisco Motor Corporation as a potential transport solution in the Philippine archipelago.
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