Once we passed a certain chronological threshold, we all began to think that flying car-crisscrossed airways like the Delorean from Back to the Future 2 would be one of many technologies that look good on screen but simply cannot be translated into the real world.
However, if not at least as shown in the film, yes in a way, our skies may soon be full of flying cars .
One billion
As of mid-2019, more than $ 1 billion was already being invested in a minimum of 25 flying car companies , including Zee Aero, Opener and Kitty Hawk.
A dozen vehicles were already conducting test flights at the time, as Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler explain in their book The Future Goes Faster Than You Think :
They come in all shapes and sizes, from motorcycles perched on oversized fans, to human-sized quadcopters drones, to miniature planes similar to a space capsule.
One of the most interesting projects is that of Uner air. If a helicopter has a cost per kilometer of $ 5.55, Uber Air wants to reduce it to $ 3.56. But the long-term goal is to reach a price of 27 cents per kilometer, that is, cheaper than driving a land car. His interest is focused on the so-called eVTO L, electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles.
For an eVTOL to enter the flying car program, it must be able to transport a pilot and four passengers at a speed of 240 km / h for three hours of uninterrupted service. Uber already has five providers that have committed to delivering eVTOL vehicles that meet these requirements .
The most efficient commercially viable aircraft is the Celera 500L. At the moment it is in the prototype phase, but it has already carried out more than 30 successful test flights. Perhaps, if we are a little optimistic, Back to the Future 2 could be right around the corner.