European Flying Car Technology Bought by Chinese Firm, According to Reports
A Chinese business has acquired the technology underlying a European flying automobile powered by a BMW, according to reports.
The technology used in a BMW-powered flying car that had successful test flights in Europe has been acquired by a Chinese company.
The AirCar is a four-wheeled, two-passenger flying car that was designed in Slovakia. It can be converted into a road-legal vehicle in less than three minutes.
The AirCar has a retractable wing design akin to a switchblade, a telescoping tail, and a pusher propeller. It was created by Klein Vision co-founder Anton Zajac and professor Stefan Klein. It can go up to 8,200 feet, or around 600 miles, at a time.
According to Klein Vision, Hebei Jianxin Flying Car Technology Company, with its headquarters located in Cangzhou, has acquired the technology behind the flying car.
The company acquired the sole authority to produce and operate AirCar aircraft within a certain region. The business previously acquired another Slovak aircraft manufacturer, and since then it has constructed its own airport and flight school.
The development of the prototype was said to have cost $2.3 million, however, it is unknown how much Hebei Jianxin paid for the technology.
According to a statement from Klein Vision, “The deal, finalized for an undisclosed amount, marks a strategic move in the advancement of innovative mobility solutions.”
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“With this license, KleinVision’s state-of-the-art technology will only be used by the Chinese company to produce and market approved flying cars in a designated geographic area. The Jianxin Group is prepared to use this innovative technology to completely rewrite Chinese transportation norms.”
Even though the vehicle is powered by a BMW engine and uses gasoline from a pump, it requires much more to take off and fly.
It takes two minutes and fifteen seconds for the vehicle to transition from sports car mode to aircraft mode. On the ground, the vehicle resembles a contemporary sports car with its wings folded smoothly down the side, according to Reuters.
In case of an emergency, AirCar features a ballistic parachute in addition to a fixed propeller at the back.
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AirCar, like a plane, needs a runway to take off and land, unlike drone taxis, which can only land horizontally. Only two passengers with a combined weight of 31 stone, or roughly 430 pounds, can fit inside an AirCar.
China is adopting the technology of flying cars. China’s Xpeng Aeroht produced a “flying car” that took off for its first public flight in Dubai last year.
A California-based startup that is developing an electric flying automobile, on the other hand, began accepting preorders last year.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted Alef Aeronautics’ flying car a special airworthiness certification, allowing the firm to conduct both air and road tests, the company announced in a news release.