Good ole Marty McFly and Doc Brown promised us flying cars by 2015. To the casual observer it seems as if we'll drastically miss that mark...but we won't. Ok, so we won't have a vast, well-developed skyway infrastructure, but we will have the cars, or car, singular.
MNN.com says,
A small, privately held company named Terrafugia recently gained FAA approval for its roadable aircraft (i.e., flying car), and new improvements to the vehicle's design will make it available to customers in about a year, according to MSNBC.
Dubbed The Transition, Terrafugia's flying car takes the notion of driving a hybrid to a whole new level. The latest model features a car-like look, with traditional headlights and even a license plate holder. Other new fixtures include an improved wing that folds up with the touch of a switch (like a convertible), rear-wheel drive with a continuously variable transmission, independent suspension, and even a futuristic touchscreen interface in the cockpit.
Aside from the innovative engineering specs, the Transition performs fairly well in fuel economy. It gets about 35 miles per gallon on the road and about 490 miles per full tank in the air.
That's a whole lot better than Doc Brown's nuclear powered Delorean, though the trash powered Delorean 2.0 would have been great to see implemented on Terrafugia's flying car.
The first generation Transition will cost an estimated $194,000, so you may be better suited splurging on that Tesla Roadster. It's cheap by comparison.
MNN reports that the release date is slated for late 2011 and the company is already accepting $10,000 refundable deposits to reserve your very own flying car.
Max Livingstone
said on March 02, 2011