Flying cars: Are they real and what will they look like in the future?

It’s well known that Henry Ford popularised and democratised the automobile with his mass-produced Model T. But did you know he tried to do the same thing with the aeroplane?

The Ford Flivver was a single-seat aircraft that Henry Ford developed in the mid-1920s with the intention of creating the first mass-produced plane that everyone could enjoy. Unfortunately a fatal accident in testing saw the project scratched and Ford stuck with cars.

But even from the earliest days of flight people have been trying to combine a plane with a car to create a seamless transport system that would allow you to fly across the country as easily as you drive to the local shops.

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It has become one of humankind’s long-running struggles, trying to find a way to ideally integrate these two modes of transport, so much so that people have begun to question whether or not it’s a noble ambition or a fool's errand.

According to the Back to the Future Part II movie we should have been driving around in flying cars by 2015. In fact, we should have been able to convert any old car into a flying machine and hit the sky lanes.

The Hollywood idea is obviously far from reality, but in recent years progress has been made on achieving a true flying car.

There are still so many questions surrounding flying cars - Are they real? When will we get flying cars in the future? Can anyone drive a flying car or will you need a pilot’s licence?

Here’s everything you need to know.

What is a flying car? 

The question isn’t, what is a flying car? Or even, how can a car be able to fly? Instead, what we’re talking about is something that could more accurately be described as a ‘drivable plane’ because obviously getting the flying part is the more challenging element.

Marrying the functionality of an aircraft with the usability of a car is the biggest challenge for the companies trying to crack this concept.

Flying vehicles have been developed in various shapes and sizes, from ultra-light aircraft that can be ridden like a motorcycle to ones resembling a plane with folding wings. 

Are flying cars real? 

This is the most difficult question to answer when it comes to this topic. Are they real, in the sense that companies are developing aircraft that can drive on the ground (more so than a plane simply taxing to and from the runway)? Yes, that is happening.

Are flying cars real and close to private individuals buying them and using them in the sky and on the road? Even the most optimistic advocates will argue that this is several years away - at best.

In fact, there have been several companies that have developed similar vehicles in line with current public knowledge over the past 100 years and we’re still waiting for mainstream adoption, so it may not come anytime soon… or at all.

How long ago was the concept of a flying car invented?

Why was it invented? How has the concept and purpose of a flying car changed over time? What was the first flying car invented?

Ever since the Wright brothers took to the skies, inventors have been trying to combine their invention with Gottlieb Daimler’s.

The Curtiss Autoplane is considered the first flying car concept, appearing in 1917 it featured what looked like an aluminium-bodied car with an enclosed cabin albeit with a propeller on the front and removable wings.

However, the Curtiss Autoplane (pardon the pun) failed to take-off and instead of becoming the pioneer of a new industry it became a footnote in history.

Since then there have been countless attempts to bring the idea to life but none that have taken it mainstream, and sadly more than a few fatal crashes in the pursuit of this dream.

When will the average person be able to buy one? What can we expect in the years to come?

This is the hardest question to answer about flying cars, because there is no fixed for sale date as the technology is still being refined to the point where it is safe for widespread adoption.

The idea of regular commuters using hover cars like Back to the Future or zipping to work like George Jetson (Google it anyone under 40) still seems like a very futuristic vision.

While there are a lot of companies working on the technology and have functional prototypes, mass production to the point where they are accessible, affordable and, most importantly, safe for the ‘average person’ is still some way off in the future, and far enough away to be unclear.

However, there have been some key breakthroughs recently.

In 2022 Dubai allowed companies to begin testing electric aircraft capable of vertical take-offs and landings. Whether these fit people’s view of a ‘flying car’ is open for debate, but it’s a major step in the advancement of personal aircraft that can operate in cities.

Then, in March 2023, the US Federal Aviation Authority published a white paper that looked at the growing ‘urban mobility market’ - which includes everything from so-called flying cars to delivery drones.

But these are steps towards a future where what we’ve seen in science fiction movies could become a reality.

Here are some of the many flying car/hover car/helicopter car or whatever you call these flying vehicles that could be coming to the skies and roads near you.

XPeng Voyager X2

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XPeng AeroHT is a spin-off from China’s successful XPeng motors, an electric car brand with a strong presence in its domestic market - but not yet the rest of the world.

While there have been many test flights of these flying car/urban aircraft over the years, the Voyager X2 made headlines in 2022 when it carried out a public test flight in Dubai.

However, it only broadly fits the description of a flying car, as the prototype doesn’t have wheels and is instead designed for urban transport but in the sky.

Officially this is known as an eVTOL (electric vehicle take-off and landing) multicopter. It’s powered by eight electric motors and lifts off thanks to eight propellers.

It flies autonomously and has space for two occupants and can fly for 35 minutes at up to 130km/h.

Since that public test flight in 2022 the plan is for continued testing this year before production begins in 2024, with pricing expected to begin at approximately $200,000.

PAL-V Liberty

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While the XPeng has attracted attention in China and Dubai, a small Dutch company may be the first to market with what can really be classified as a flying car. In simple terms, the PAL-V Liberty is a company helicopter that can fold up its rotors and drive on the road.

Crucially though, PAL-V has certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) so it’s a major step closer to hitting customer hands than many of its rivals.

PAL-V has been on this path since 2009, highlighting just how difficult this process is and there are likely more hurdles before you see a Liberty cruising next to you down the highway.

While it looks like a helicopter with three wheels, the Liberty can’t take-off vertically and needs a runway to get airborne.

Once in the sky it can fly for approximately 400km/h at a maximum altitude of 11,000 feet. But, on the ground, it takes just five minutes to pack the rotors and tail fins away and be capable of driving more than 1300km on the road at speeds up to 160km/h.

This two-seater won’t come cheap though, with prices starting at $600,000.

Alef Model A

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This California-based start-up made waves at the 2023 Detroit Motor Show with the first public appearance of its flying car.

Radically different from any of its would-be rivals, the Model A is designed to be capable of driving on the road, take-off vertically into the sky and then fly forward. It’s a grand vision for a company that only began operations in 2015.   

Importantly, Alef Aeronautics got legal approval for flight in the USA.

The Model A doesn’t look like other flying cars because the eight propellers that allow for flight are hidden underneath a mesh-like body made from lightweight carbon fibre.

This allows the Model A to take-off but also meet safety standards. There is a cabin for the occupants, though, to make sure they’re comfortable.

However, the real party trick for the Model A is that the body rotates 90-degrees once it takes-off, to allow it to move forward through the sky. The catch is, Alef has only tested this concept on small-scale prototypes so there may be hurdles ahead.

This is despite the company claiming it will enter production with the vehicle by the end of 2025, with US$750m in pre-orders already on its books.

While it will initially asking price of around US$300,000, the company’s management believes with enough scale it could eventually be as affordable as a Toyota Corolla… or at least that’s the theory.

Klein Vision AirCar

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The brainchild of Slovakian founder, Professor Stefan Klein, the Klein Vision AirCar is arguably the closest thing to a flying car that we envisioned decades ago.

Unlike the more helicopter-based entrants on our list, the AirCar is much more like a sports car with pop-out wings and a propeller mounted at the rear, between the extendable tail fins. It only takes just over two minutes for the wings and tail to retract and then the pilot becomes a driver and can hit the road.

Power comes from a BMW 1.6-litre petrol engine, again skipping the more popular electric motors favoured by Alef and XPeng. Still, Klein Vision claims it can fly at speeds up to 200km/h up to 1000km.

Company founder Klein himself undertook the first test flights of the AirCar back in 2021. However, despite getting airworthiness certification in Slokavia, the AirCar is yet to reach production, demonstrating again the long road (or should that be runway?) that flying cars have had to navigate over the many decades.