Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cars
  3. News

Can the company that transformed Volvo finally make the flying car a reality?

By

Terrafugia TF-X flying car
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Can you imagine levitating right over traffic and getting to work in a flying car? It seems unlikely to happen anytime soon, but a growing number of companies — including Uber and Airbus — want to change that outlook sooner rather than later. The latest entrant in the budding segment could be Geely, the Chinese company that owns Volvo.

Geely recently agreed to purchase Terrafugia, according to the South China Morning Post. The startup was founded by a group of five Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) graduates. Since its inception in 2006, Terrafugia’s sole mission has been to make flying cars a reality, and bring them to the masses with a relatively affordable price tag.

Recommended Videos

There’s no technology to build upon and improve, unless you live in an episode of The Jetsons, so Terrafugia started with a blank slate. Ultimately, it wants to develop a vehicle classified as a Light Sport Aircraft by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), according to Motor Authority. The aircraft also needs to comply with the regulations that apply to all passenger cars.

Terrafugia is experimenting with two models, though neither have reached the prototype stage yet. The first is a more basic aircraft named Transition that has 400 miles of range, and a top through-the-clouds speed of 100 mph. The wings fold down when the Transition is on the ground, which explains its name.

A second prototype with more advantages named the TF-X is also in the works. It will have a longer range, thanks in part to a plug-in hybrid drivetrain, and unlike the Transition, it will be able to take off and land vertically.

Terrafugia’s Transition will be priced at $279,000. That sounds like a lot of money, but can you really put a price on the world’s very first flying car? Deliveries are about three years away, though it’s worth noting the company has pushed back its deadlines several times. Geely’s deep pockets might help it finally reach the production stage.

Only time will tell whether investing in Terrafugia will pay off for Volvo’s parent company. You still have a few years to start saving money — and get over your fear of heights.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Ronan Glon
Ronan Glon
Contributor
Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…
Here’s a flying car that really is a flying car
a flying car that really is aircar

KleinVision Flying Car takes maiden flight (Official Video)

Some will contest that many of the “flying cars” we hear about today are really no such thing, as their design prevents them from being driven on regular roads.

Read more
Grounded for years, the Lucid Air electric car is finally ready to fly
Lucid Air

Of the many potential Tesla rivals cooked up by both startups and established automakers, the Lucid Air might be the first one to hit the target.

Like the Tesla Model S, the Lucid Air is an electric luxury sedan that emphasizes performance and tech, while offering enough driving range for long road trips. What’s more, the people behind it know a thing or two about making cars.

Read more
Japanese startup reveals videos of flying car’s first manned test flight
skydrive first manned test flight flying car project sd 03

Japanese startup SkyDrive confirmed that it has completed the first manned test flight of its SD-03 flying car, with videos showing the vehicle in action.

SkyDrive said in a press release that the test flights, which were conducted on August 25 at the 10,000-square-meter Toyota Test Field, lasted for about four minutes. A pilot was in the SD-03, but to ensure stability and safety, a computer-assisted control system was used, along with technical staff that monitored flight conditions and the flying car's performance.

Read more