AeroMobil Flying Car (Photo : www.independent.co.uk)
Flying cars will soon be possible as AeroMobil s.r.o. plans to launch the first working model by 2017.
The aptly named AeroMobil has been under development for about five years now. In October 2014, the third-gen prototype model of the half-land half-air mobile was unveiled.
At the SXSW, AeroMobil CEO Juraj Vaculik unveiled more details about the company's challenges in making the futuristic vehicle.
Stefan Klein, co-founder of AeroMobil, and Vaculik dreamt of building flying cars as a symbol of the Slovak Republic's freedom from the former communist Czechoslovakia government, according to Engadget.
Vaculik said that land and air travels are still inconvenient due to the lack of infrastructure, traffic jams and more. He believes that flying cars are the answer to most of today's transportation issues.
The company is still finding a suitable component light enough for the car to fly, but tough enough to be safe. Vaculik is expecting to solve the material dilemma in about two years.
However, the cost of the material would also translate to a much more expensive price tag on the flying cars. It is estimated that AeroMobil's flying car will cost at least 100,000 euros.
"We believe that 2017 we'll be able to launch this to market," said Vaculik.
The AeroMobil flying car is expected to fly with about 400 miles in range and will utilize the usual car fuel instead of jet fuel. In addition, the flying car would only need a large grass patch for a landing strip, according to RT.
One caveat is that not everyone will be able to drive the flying cars. Only certified and qualified pilots are allowed to fly the hybrid aircraft vehicle.
However, the company is expecting ride-sharing services for the air cars, similar to Lyft and Uber, to accommodate the wider public.
