Look, our cars fly now! Flying cars are a well-worn trope in sci-fi movies to show just how far humanity has come. But, fun fact, they’ve been around since the ‘50s. Seriously — the American-made Aerocar (designed by Moulton Taylor) actually took flight back in 1949, though it never reached commercial viability and was never produced on a large scale.
Many companies are trying to change that. Some are opting for the VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing; meaning no need for a runway) route by cramming as many rotors as they need onto a vehicle to get it airborne. Meanwhile others have taken a purist approach by insisting on designing flying cars that literally switch gears from a car to plane mode.
Coming Soon: Flying cars in Singapore
Even Singapore is getting in on the action: Volocopter and Skyports promised to co-launch commercial air taxi services in Singapore by 2024. But some questions remain unanswered: how much would it cost to own one? And is one technically breaking the law if they take to the air and fly over an ERP gantry? These have to be addressed at length before we can safely say that flying cars are a thing. In the meantime, let’s take a look at some of the best and brightest aerial-road hybrids currently on the market.
(Related: Flying Cars. At Last.)
