Flying car debuted for the first time at an international tech event in Tokyo. The car flew up to 10 meters with the pilot in a parking lot outside the Tokyo Big Sight Convention Center in the city’s Koto Ward. The name of the car is ‘Hexa’, which has been developed by American company Lift Aircraft Inc. There are 18 propellers installed on the top of the Hexa. It is 4.5 meters wide, 2.6 meters high and weighs approximately 196 kilograms. This is a single seat car, which can land on both land and water. In India too, three companies including Mahindra and Maruti Suzuki are working on electric flying cars. Chinese company XPeng and Hyundai also made a flying car. Chinese company XPeng and Hyundai’s advanced air mobility company Supernal showcased their flying car in the year’s biggest tech event, Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2024, held in Las Vegas, America in January. Were. Apart from this, Sky Drive Inc., Pal-V Liberty and Next Future Aska are also developing their flying cars. 1. Chinese company XPeng introduced flying car. XPeng Aero HT introduced its flying car at CES-2024. It will be produced on a large scale in 2025. The fully-electric piloted aircraft is capable of vertical takeoff/landing and low altitude flights. It supports manual and autonomous flight modes. 2. Hyundai’s electric flying taxi will arrive by 2028 Hyundai’s advanced air mobility company Supernal had unveiled its electric flying taxi at CES-2024. The S-A2 is an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle. It will be able to fly at a speed of 120 miles per hour at a height of 1,500 feet. It is designed for a journey of 50-60 Km. It has 8 tilting rotors and a distributed electric propulsion system. Supernaval plans to officially launch the vehicle in 2028. Three companies are making flying cars in India… 1. Mahindra will bring India’s first air taxi next year. Anand Mahindra, chairman of automobile company Mahindra Group, had recently confirmed in a post on X that by next year, India will get its first air taxi. Electric air taxi will be available. He has also shared photos of a prototype model. This electric air taxi will be developed in ePlane, an initiative company of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras. Air taxi will be like a two-seater aircraft. This will provide air travel facilities to the public in future. Its maximum range will be 200 km. It will fly at an average speed of 200 km per hour with a cruising ability of 160 km per hour. 2. Asia’s first hybrid flying car, will be able to fly even from the roof of the house. Chennai-based Vinata Aeromobility Company in India is making hybrid flying car. The company says that it will be able to fly even from the roof of the house without any runway. The company had shown the car model to Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia for the first time. The hybrid flying car can fly for 60 minutes at a top speed of 120 kmph. It can fly up to 3,000 feet above ground level. The weight of the two seater car is 1100 kg, which can take off with a maximum weight of 1300 kg. The company claims that its range is up to 100 kilometers. 3. Maruti Suzuki will bring affordable flying car by 2025 Maruti Suzuki is making a flying electric car in collaboration with its parent company Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC). The company has partnered with Japanese startup Skydrive for this. It can be used as electric flying taxi service in urban areas. The company is considering its manufacturing in India. Kento Ogura, Assistant Manager of the company’s Global Automobile Planning Department, had recently told in an event that if we come here under Make in India, then flying cars will definitely be affordable here. “With 12 units of motors and rotors, it is expected to be launched at the 2025 Osaka Expo in Japan,” Ogura said. Initially the three-passenger edition will have a range of 15 kilometres. After this, it is likely to double to 30 kilometers by 2029 and then to 40 kilometers by 2031.
