3 countries now have flying cars, with more hoping to follow
- Indonesia announced flying cars to hit the capital city by 2045
- Three other countries also have the tech on the horizon
- The future is finally here
Published on Feb 27, 2024 at 5:41 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Feb 27, 2024 at 9:12 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Alessandro Renesis
As it feels like the futuristic tech we’ve been waiting for is finally upon us, as three countries now have flying cars with more soon to follow.
Indonesia’s new capital city are hoping to have them up in the air by 2045.
An authority from Nusantara Capital City, known as Ibu Kota Nusantara (IKN) in Indonesian, Bambang Susantono, revealed this is in line with their smart and sustainable city plans.
READ MORE! Watch as self-flying air taxi completes its first public flight
“Buses will be driverless, and by 2045 there will even be flying cars. It’s really advanced,” he said.
He explained further that this smart-city model has the goal of creating a carbon-free environment.
Ultimately this should be a tick on the to-do list of the county’s efforts to help tackle global climate change.
It was previously made public that IKN would be testing a fleet of flying taxis – much like Dubai.
That is to come ahead of the 79th Indonesian Independence Day celebrations later this year on 17 August.
Three other countries’ plans to adopt flying vehicles have already taken flight.
Per Reuters reports in October of last year, Chinese EV maker, Xpeng Inc., embarked on its maiden public flight in Dubai.
The United Arab Emirates launch was their attempt to launch the electric aircraft on the international market.
A completely autonomous eVTOL, there’s no steering wheel or ‘yoke’ or display screens.
It can reach speeds of up to 130 km/h (81 mph).
Xpeng says the X2 will be able to cut a 4.5 hour-long car journey down to just 20 minutes.
The company also says the X2 emits zero carbon dioxide.
Meanwhile in January of 2022 in Slovakia, the Slovak Transport Authority issued a certificate of airworthiness for a dual-mode car-aircraft vehicle.
The AirCar completed 70 hours of demanding flight tests, with flying colors, per Emerging Europe.
The prototype completed more than 200 take-offs and landings automatically.
These stringent tests met the requirements of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
Back to Asia and fast-forward to February 2023.
Japan conducted its first unmanned outdoor flight of a flying car.
According to the Japan Times this was under the strict approval of the Transport Ministry.
It traveled about 400 meters and reached an altitude of 30 meters (98 ft) above the ground in the space of three and a half minutes.
A vehicle for two, it’s 5.6 m (18 ft) wide, 1.7 m (5.6 ft) high, and weighs 430 kg.
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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
