Hybrid flying car

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by zenMachine, Sep 9, 2008.

  • by zenMachine, Sep 9, 2008 at 2:26 PM
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    zenMachine Just another Onionhead

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    Moller International said Tuesday it has completed the design for a hybrid-electric vehicle capable of lifting off vertically and flying for about 15 minutes.

    In theory, the sports car would be used primarily on the road. If a driver got stuck in traffic, the car could then lift off and fly at up to 150 miles per hour for a short distance, then land and travel up to 40 miles or more.


    Moller conducted a preliminary analysis and found that a hybrid propulsion system powered by engines and electric motors, together with a proprietary eight-fan aircraft design, could be blended to create the “autovolantor.†Scale model wind tunnel testing and further analysis predicted “good all around performance†for the car-aircraft.


    Moller completes design for flying hybrid - Sacramento Business Journal:
    zenMachine, Sep 9, 2008
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Comments

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by zenMachine, Sep 9, 2008.

  1. mingoglia
    That's all we need... we have bad enough drivers on the road. All we need now are bad drivers flying around crashing into each other in the sky. :)
    mingoglia, Sep 9, 2008
    #2
  2. stevecaz
    What a waste of text. Anything with Moller is garbage. They have been promising the flying car for 10 years and all they have is something that can hover around on a tether.

    Here's a great career idea - get a bunch of investors to continually give you money to tinker and play with cool stuff, all the while never actually having to produce anything. Drag this on for decades and retire in style.
    stevecaz, Sep 9, 2008
    #3
  3. etyler88
    Even if it worked the FAA would not let it fly. The skies are not free range it is regulated. Until some supercomputer comes along to keep crashes from happening it is only a cool toy.
    etyler88, Sep 9, 2008
    #4
  4. mingoglia
    Good point. In an ultralight there's very few rules but an automobile is at least 3 times the weight so it certainly wouldn't qualify.
    mingoglia, Sep 9, 2008
    #5
  5. San_Carlos_Jeff
    10 years? Try well over 30. I remember reading about this cr*p when I was a little kid.
    Paul Moller and his (non) flying car
    San_Carlos_Jeff, Sep 9, 2008
    #6
  6. tochatihu
    Mooer is not without competition in the field:

    Terrafugia, Inc. -- The Vehicle

    This is a folding-wing design (needs a runway), while Moller has ducted fans (no runway, but has been working the power-to-weight problem for quite a while now).
    tochatihu, Sep 9, 2008
    #7
  7. kabin
    kabin, Sep 10, 2008
    #8
  8. sorka
    10 years? You must be a kid? I'm 40 and have been reading every few years since I was 10 about Mollers just-about-to-be-released flying car.

    It would be one thing if he was just tinkering, but he's taken investor money for decades on the promise that the flying car was just around the corner.

    What a load of crap.
    sorka, Sep 10, 2008
    #9
  9. daniel
    Now that's cool!

    There's a sucker born every minute. The skill of the con artist is in convincing people to hand over their money based on bullshit.
    daniel, Sep 10, 2008
    #10
  10. donee
    Hi All,

    I have to agree. Moller does not have the engineering vision or capability to deliver, so it has degenerated into a pyramid scheme. To keep the money coming in he added "hybrid" to the front his latest poorly thought-out will never be practical design.
    donee, Sep 10, 2008
    #11

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