First made-in-Vietnam flying car to hit market in 2024
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Hanoi company Airlios has demonstrated a flying electric car which it plans to sell commercially in 2024.
The single seater, also called Airlios, could fly vertically to reach 10 meters within 10 seconds and then fly at speeds of 100 kilometers per hour, the company said at a recent exhibition.
It can rise to as high as 120 meters, the same height as a 44-story building. It has eight batteries that are fully charged in seven to nine minutes at 30-kilowatt charging stations.
It is mostly made of aluminum alloy and carbon fiber, and can fly both automatically and manually.
A prototype has successfully flown 33 kilometers in 20 minutes at a height of below 120 meters. It has been tested for 100 hours and 1,000 kilometers.
“The project is now 70-80% complete,” Mai Thien Vu, the company’s chief technology officer, told VnExpress.
“We plan to launch the maiden flight of the commercial version of Airlios by the end of 2023.”
Managers and engineers at Airlios began thinking about making flying cars five years ago, he added.
If it is launched as scheduled, Airlios could become the first flying car in Southeast Asia.
The standard version will cost around $81,000 compared to, for instance, $92,000 for Swedish brand Jetson.
Airlios will also offer other models costing up to $99,000.
Many startups in a number of countries have started working on flying cars though there have been few commercial launches yet.
Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia plan to launch flying taxi services in future.
Questions & Answers
Q.What are the key performance specifications of the Airlios flying car?
What are the key performance specifications of the Airlios flying car?
The single-seater vehicle can fly vertically to 10 metres in 10 seconds and then travel at 100 kilometres per hour. It can reach a maximum height of 120 metres, and its eight batteries fully charge in seven to nine minutes.
Q.Has the Airlios flying car undergone any testing to date?
Has the Airlios flying car undergone any testing to date?
A prototype has successfully completed a 33-kilometre flight in 20 minutes at under 120 metres. It has been tested for a total of 100 hours and 1,000 kilometres, and the project is currently 70-80% complete.
Q.How much will the Airlios flying car cost when it is released?
How much will the Airlios flying car cost when it is released?
The standard version of the Airlios flying car is planned to cost around $81,000. Other available models will have higher price points, reaching up to $99,000.