A £68,00 flying car has completed its first-ever journey in the lush surroundings of Tuscany, Italy.
Jetson ONE, a coaxial octacopter – to give it its proper name – was piloted by Tomasz Patan, co-founder of Swedish firm Jetson, who say the commute was reduced by 88%.
He flew it from his home in the central Italian region to a company building, with Jetson hailing the flight as a “momentous occasion for the electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) sector”.
Jetson Head of Communications, San Sunner said: “We are incredibly proud to share that after months of rigorous trial and testing, we completed the world’s first-ever eVTOL commute.
(Image: Jetson AB / SWNS)
“The team waited in anticipation for the Jetson ONE arrival at the Santa Maria a Monte facility in Tuscany.”
The aircraft is powered by eight electric motors, has a flight time of 20 minutes, and can reach a top speed of 63mph.
It is built of a race car-inspired lightweight aluminium space frame and Carbon-Kevlar composite body, and running on a high discharge lithium-ion battery, the vehicle can carry a pilot’s weight of 210lbs (95kgs).
On-board LiDAR sensors ensure obstacle avoidance and a triple-redundant flight computer will further enhance the ease and safety of operation.
(Image: Jetson AB / SWNS)
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Mr Patan said: “Our long-term goal is to democratise flight. We firmly believe the ‘eVTOL’ is the future for mass transportation. We are committed to making this a reality.”
Jetson say their prototype “proof of concept” was finished in the spring of 2018 and they have since been working on a “consumer-friendly” version.
They added: “The entire 2022 production is sold out, but we are accepting orders for 2023 delivery.”
Of the 105 models being made for 2023, just three are still available.
