Sky highways

Arthur wakes up suddenly. He had arrived home late from the party last night. But where on earth did he leave his car? He opens his curtains and there it is - sitting on top of his neighbour's roof. Uh-oh!

Inventors have been working on the idea of a flying car for over 100 years. According to one expert, Andrew Glass,¹ the challenge is to "create a machine that is robustStrong and tough. , rugged and probably heavy enough to withstand the rigoursDemanding and difficult conditions. of the road... and at the same time a machine that is light enough and aerodynamicDesigned so that air passes over it easily, making it more efficient. enough to be safe in the air."

The main focus today is on a type of vehicle called EVTOL. This is short for "electric vertical take-off and landing".

Dozens of companies around the world are working on the idea, including Toyota and Uber.

EVTOLs come in many forms. Some are like four-propeller drones, but on a very large scale.

The German company Lilium has developed a six-seater with 30 electric jets which lift it off the ground and then tilt to propel it forwards.²

VoloCopter has come up with the two-seater VoloCity. With helicopter-style rotors, it has a range of 22 miles.

EVTOL makers say they are cheaper, quieter and less polluting than helicopters. The main challenge lies with batteries, which are heavy and expensive.

Relying on them limits an EVTOL's range. And for a taxi service to work, the battery would have to be charged very quickly. That would shorten its life.

Then there is the issue of how EVTOLs should operate. Hugh Martin, an expert on city transport, says there are several questions:

"Where will these vehicles be allowed to fly? Where will they take off? Where will they land? Who decides what is possible? That's going to take a long time to get figured out."

Are they a good idea?

Yes: A drastic solution is needed to the traffic jams that plague cities. EVTOLs would make it possible to get from A to B much faster and reduce the pollution caused by traditional cars and helicopters.  

No: The traffic on the ground is bad enough - to have it in the sky as well would be awful. And the safety issues are enormous: a car crash on land might not kill you, but one in the air certainly would.

Or... EVTOLs are much closer to helicopters than to cars. The fact that so many companies are working on them is an admission that the idea of a car with wings is basically impractical.