Two Companies Are Working Together to Help Make Flying Cars a Reality
Flying cars may not be as far fetched as you may think.
Making its world premiere at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, Italdesign and Airbus have shown off the Pop.Up, the first modular, fully electric, zero-emission concept vehicle system designed to relieve traffic congestion in crowded megacities. The two companies worked together to come up with a modular system for multi-modal transportation, taking advantage of both ground and airspace.
Technically the Pop.Up isn’t so much a flying car than it is a flying pod. The idea is that a vehicle shaped as a passenger capsule can be paired with two different and independent electric-propelled modules – a ground module and an air module. Other public means of transportation could also integrate the Pop.Up capsule, like trains or hyperloops.
2017 Geneva Motor Show Coverage
The pod is a monocoque carbon fiber cocoon that can transform itself into a city car by simply coupling to the ground module, which features a carbon fiber chassis and is battery powered. It can also take to the air by means of the air module, propelled by eight counter-rotating rotors.
In a perfect world, the air and ground modules would return autonomously to dedicated recharge stations while waiting for their next customers.
While this may all seem like something out of a sci-fi movie, Airbus and Italdesign believe it could be a reality within seven to 10 years. They’re hoping other partnerships could emerge as a result of showing off the concept at Geneva this year.
Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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Brilliant! Can't wait!
Just what we need, the sky full of woman drivers!