A Chinese firm has acquired the technology behind a groundbreaking flying car originally developed and successfully test-flown in Europe, according to a report on the BBC.
The AirCar, powered by a BMW engine using conventional fuel, made headlines in 2021 when it completed a 35-minute flight between two Slovakian airports, using runways for take-off and landing. Impressively, it only took just over two minutes for the vehicle to transform from a car into an aircraft.
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Now, vehicles based on the AirCar’s design are set to be deployed within a specific geographical region of China. Hebei Jianxin Flying Car Technology Company, based in Cangzhou, has secured exclusive rights to manufacture and operate AirCar aircraft within an undisclosed area. The company has even constructed its own airport and flight school following a previous acquisition from another Slovak aircraft manufacturer, as revealed by Anton Zajac, cofounder of KleinVision, the company behind AirCar’s creation.
China, having been at the forefront of the electric vehicle revolution, is now actively pursuing solutions for flying transportation. Recently, Autoflight conducted a test flight of a passenger-carrying drone between the cities of Shenzhen and Zhuhai, completing a journey that typically takes three hours by car in just 20 minutes, although no passengers were aboard.
Additionally, in 2023, eHang, a Chinese firm, received a safety certificate from Chinese officials for its electric flying taxi. Meanwhile, the UK government anticipates that flying taxis could become a common sight in the skies by 2028.
However, unlike vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) passenger aircraft like those developed by Autoflight and eHang, AirCar requires a runway for operation.
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By GlobalDataKleinVision declined to disclose the financial details of the technology sale although AirCar was granted a certificate of airworthiness by the Slovak Transport Authority in 2022.
Despite the advancements in flying car technology, significant challenges remain in terms of infrastructure, regulation, and public acceptance. Aviation consultant Steve Wright told the BBC that the emergence of personal air transport presents new regulatory questions for global authorities to address, with attempts to fit these innovations into existing frameworks sometimes proving challenging.
Wright suggested that China’s approach to innovation may provide an opportunity to advance the sector more rapidly, drawing parallels to the country’s leadership in the EV market. While prototypes like AirCar capture imaginations, the practical realities of air travel are likely to involve more mundane elements such as queues and baggage checks, Wright added.
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