Most electric vertical take-off and landing (EVTOL) aircraft owe their design to futuristic flying robots and insects.
But theres a more humble kind of flying innovation the flying aircar.
The news follows 142 successful landings in Bratislava.
In earlier tests, the AirCar flew at 8200ft, reaching a maximum speed of 190kmph (103knots).
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Whatever it is, Im in.
But if the idea of a car that turns into an aircraft sounds familiar, youd be right.
Klein Visions founder Stefan Klein previously worked for another Slovakian aircraft company,Aeromobil.
Theres also a few other companies in the space.
Who will triumph in the race to get an aircar on the market?
It delivers a flying range of up to 740 km and a driving range of up to 1000 km.
The two-seater is scheduled for release in 2023, followed by a four-seater in 2025.
The company intends to roll out electric battery-powered aircraft in the future.
However, over 100 US staff became redundant in 2021.
Currently,Terrafugia offers no concrete time to market details.
Pal V (The Netherlands)
PAL-Vis perhaps one of the closest to selling flying cars.
In October 2020, the PAL-V Liberty received road admission for Europe and numerous countries outside Europe.
PAL-V is now also the first to complete thefull certificationwith theEuropean Union Aviation Safety Agency EASA).
Aircars are challenging beasts
These kinds of aircraft have their advantages and disadvantages.
Owners can drive to take off or theoretically find a less crowded place to fly compared tovertiports.
Except for the Terrafugia, they run on gas.
This makes them faster to refuel than the time it takes to charge an EVTOL.
However, this brings their environmental benefits into question.
Do we want to fill the sky with gas-powered vehicles that only carry a couple of people?
Further, air cars need accreditation from both road transport and aviation bodies.
This is a laborious project that takes about 10 years over multiple stages.
These companies are in for the long haul.
But these folks in Slovakia are organized, and definitely worth watching closely.
Story byCate Lawrence
Cate Lawrence is an Australian tech journo living in Berlin.
