With all the rage being about autonomous cars, a company from Netherlands has gone a step ahead or rather a step above with the launch of a car that flies. It is the first time a flying car has been made available for purchase.
The flying car christened PAL-V Liberty has been priced around £4,25,000 (Rs 4.18 crore), and the first customers will start to recieve deliveries by the end of next year.
It also comes in a sport model which is priced at $3,99,000 (around Rs 2.52 crore) before taxes on the manufacturer’s website.
According to PAL-V, Liberty meets all existing regulations. The company claims that it is “a joy to drive and to fly, with a matchless drive and flight experience, as well as unequaled freedom of mobility.”
The PAL-V Liberty comes with a three-wheel design that tilts from side to side on curves.
It takes about 10-15 minutes for a Liberty to transform into a flying machine and back to a road car, the company claims. The rotor mast ades unfold automatically but the tail section and the rotir blades have to be pulled out manually.
A driver must have a licence to fly to be able to use one of these. Although it’s a based on a helicopter, one can’t just fly from anywhere. The PAL-V Liberty needs a space about 90-200×200 metres to take off.
The company says that the noise the car makes while in flight will be compararble to a small aircraft, and that it would be lesser than a helicopter.
When in drive mode, the car has 100.3hp and is capable of doing 0-100kph in 9 seconds, with top speed figures of 160kph. Fuel efficiency is a claimed figure of 10.97kpl with a range of 1,314km.
When in flight mode, it can climb upto a maximum altitude of 3,500m. It’s 199.7hp flight engine can take it to speeds of 179kph with a range of 498km.
PAL-V Liberty’s concept version was first tested in 2009 and 2012.
