PAL-V Liberty, the first ever certified commercial flying car, has become a reality. PAL-V, a Dutch company, is ready to take you orders of this one-of-a-kind vehicle/aircraft, whichever way you want.
After nearly 5 years since its successful flight test and demo, the company's first flying car has fully complied with safety regulations set by global governing bodies. Robert Dingemanse, PAL-V CEO, said in a press statement: "After years of hard work, beating the technical and qualification challenges, our team succeeded in creating an innovative flying car that complies with existing safety standards, determined by regulatory bodies around the world."
PAL-V begins pre-sales of its flying car – starting at $400,000 https://t.co/FHmzQErEFC by @etherington pic.twitter.com/yXuLXW9Dlf
— TechCrunch (@TechCrunch) February 13, 2017
The question now is: Are your pockets ready to order the PAL-V Liberty? A non-refundable deposit of either $10,000 or $25,000 for the Sport or Pioneer, respectively, is now accepted by PAL-V in order to reserve your very own flying car. Plus, they will accept a $2,500 refundable deposit for customers placed on the waiting list, reports Digital Trends.
The standard model, Liberty Sport, has a base price of $399,000. But this will only start selling once the Pioneer Edition has been sold out. By adding another $200,000, you get to have one of the only 90 copies of the Pioneer Editions.
The Pioneer Edition comes with special interior and exterior details, a little bit of personalized touch, and also additional features such as dual controls, power heating, electronic flight instrument system, and carbon fiber detailing. But both the Pioneer Edition and Sport models have an introductory training course in order to familiar the driver/pilot with the nature of the PAL-V Liberty.
PAL-V has kept a tight lid on the vehicle's powertrain. However, according to Car and Driver, both the engines are supplied by Rotax, an Austrian aircraft-engine maker. It has a fuel tank of 26.4 gallons, which is good for around 160 pounds of weight in gasoline alone.
The company claims that on road, the PAL-V Liberty's top speed is around 100mph with a 0-62mph of less than 9 seconds. Meanwhile, on air, it is able to travel up to 112mph, weighing at around 1413 pounds. It takes about 5 to 10 minutes to transform into a flying car with the help of the Semi-Automatic Conversion System.
Airbus might be another contender in the flying car market as they could launch their prototype by the end of 2017. Meanwhile, PAL-V will begin deliveries of the PAL-V Liberty by the end of 2018.
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