As a versatile mobility provider, Toyota is constantly striving to explore new opportunities; It would also conquer the air in 2021, or 2022, for the flying car that has been under development for years. The dream of a flying car is probably the same age as the car itself. However, the idea has never been put into practice, due to two persistent obstacles: the lack of adequate propulsion technology and the need for special training in the operation of flying structures. Even ten years ago, the automotive industry could not provide an effective response to these problems, but now modern, high-performance electric motors and autonomous mobility technologies have created at least the theoretical possibility of making vehicles suitable for both air and road transport a reality.
A published patent record testifies that Toyota is also serious about developing the flying car. The company’s North American Development and Manufacturing Division (TEMA) opted for the simplest possible solution and would use the same propulsion elements on asphalt and air: (using propellers protruding from the rim of the wheel) the wheels themselves would provide the lift necessary for ascent. This makes sense, as if you don’t have to install two separate propulsion systems, the whole vehicle can be simpler and lighter, which is beneficial in terms of flightability, range and reliability. A similar solution was envisioned by the creators of Back to the Future at the time, but in Toyota’s conceptual sketch, the wheels turn into a flying position not around the hub but at a pivot point at the height of the roof, in the same way as when opening a swing door. An important practical advantage of this is that the farther the rotors are from the center of gravity, the more stable it can fly and the more precisely the vehicle can be steered. In the absence of a classic chassis, these arms can also act as a suspension, as in the traditional way the front wheels cannot be steered in this way, driving on asphalt could change the direction of the car by changing the rotational speed of each wheel.
It is too early to say today whether these improvements will be included in this Toyota aircraft. In any case, the company’s developments in autonomous mobility will allow the pilot to leave navigation entirely to the vehicle in the near future – and to do so in two or three dimensions is just a matter of sensor and computing power. There is also no doubt that in the recent past, several automotive players have expressed their intention to build a flying car – perhaps the time for flying cars will indeed come soon. If so, hydrogen fuel cell technology could give Toyota a huge positional advantage in the competition. The battery pack of a conventional electric vehicle already means several glazed ballasts, it takes a long time to charge it, and we can only increase the capacity of the battery to their detriment: a larger battery is legally heavier and slower to charge with the same technology. In contrast, the capacity of a hydrogen tank can be expanded without a significant increase in weight, and it does not take more time to fill than a gasoline or kerosene tank with a similar range.
This is not the first time Toyota has addressed the idea of a flying car, the company decided last year to use its financial and professional resources to support its Cartivator team of Japanese students who set fire to the Olympic flame from a SkyDrive flying car at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. which due to the virus will only be expected this year, 2021. The automaker will contribute 40 million Japanese yen and a team of mechanical engineers to the hoped-for success of the project.
Recent article
Drones News & Articles
Sky’s The Limit: Amazon Drones Gearing Up to Paint the European Skies
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
CycloTech Presents First Air Car with CycloRotors
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
The flying ambulance arrives at lightning speed
Drones News & Articles
Wing and Walmart Join Forces: Ushering a New Era of Drone Deliveries
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
The electric car revolution could continue in the air
Flying Cars News & Articles
What Economic Challenges and Opportunities Might Arise from a World Where Flying Cars Are Commonplace ?
News & Articles Points of interest
NASA’s new passenger craft will make ocean crossings shorter than the time it takes to watch a movie
Electric airplane News & Articles
Pyka’s Game-changing Pelican: Setting New Aerial Agricultural Standards
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
Unmanned aerial taxis flew in a unique formation
Electric airplane News & Articles
NASA’s Innovations: Soaring into an Electrified Flight Future
Drones News & Articles
Redefining Drone Warfare: From Expendable Units to Affordable Mass
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
Could eVTOLs and Air Taxis Replace Public Transport ?
Flying Cars News & Articles
The Dawn of Flying Cars: A Glimpse into the Future of Urban Mobility
Drones News & Articles
Harnessing Nature’s Flight: The Bird-Inspired Drone
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
Navigating the Skies of Tomorrow: Electric Air Taxis Eye the Paris Olympics
Flying Cars News & Articles
Soaring Above: Alef Automotive’s Revolutionary Flying Car Earns FAA Approval
Points of interest
Navigating the Skies: Korea’s PIBOT Set to Outdo Human Pilots
Drones
The Vanguard of Autonomous Flight: XQ-58A Valkyrie
News & Articles Points of interest
China’s JF-22 Hypersonic Wind Tunnel: The Future of Hypersonic Innovation
Drones News & Articles
A New Flight Formation: German Pilots and Drone Swarms
Drones
A New Dawn for Drone Technology: The Hypersonic Revolution
Additional aircraft News & Articles
The Morphobot: An Innovation in Multimodal Robotics
Additional aircraft News & Articles
Blazing Trails in Hypersonic Aviation: Europe’s Destinus Soars to New Heights
News & Articles Points of interest
The Dawn of AI Air Travel: Airbus and its Vision for Autonomy
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
Technological advances in air taxis and flying vehicles are needed to transform public transport
Air taxi News & Articles
Volocopter’s High-Flying Ambitions for the Olympics
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
The Horizon of Aviation: Airbus’ Vision for 2035 and Beyond
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
A Shift in Aviation Licensing and Training
Drones News & Articles
Russia’s Path to Drone Supremacy
Additional aircraft News & Articles
Spectacular Flight of Man-Made Saucers: Unveiling New Horizons of Sky-High Commute
Air taxi News & Articles
Israel’s Pioneering Venture into Drone Transport
Air taxi News & Articles
More efficient air taxis in the future
Air taxi News & Articles
The Coming Electric Air Taxi Revolution: Competing with Train Tickets ?
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
Unveiling the Whisper of Innovation: CycloTech’s Exploration into CycloRotor Noise Levels
Points of interest
Sailing the Skies in Style: Airbus’s Novel Vision for Air Travel
Drones News & Articles
Boosting Agriculture: A Drone Revolution Awaits in Budapest
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
Embracing the Future with Rolls-Royce’s Revolutionary UltraFan Engine
Air taxi News & Articles
Testing of perhaps the most promising air taxi begins
Additional aircraft News & Articles
Navigating the Future: Autonomous Helicopters Soar High
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
Embracing the Future: Seoul’s Leap into Urban Air Mobility
More articles you may be interested in...
Flying Cars News & Articles
Soaring Above: Alef Automotive’s Revolutionary Flying Car Earns FAA Approval
Points of interest
Navigating the Skies: Korea’s PIBOT Set to Outdo Human Pilots
Drones
The Vanguard of Autonomous Flight: XQ-58A Valkyrie
News & Articles Points of interest
China’s JF-22 Hypersonic Wind Tunnel: The Future of Hypersonic Innovation
Air taxi News & Articles
Israel’s Pioneering Venture into Drone Transport
As the sunrises on another era of technology, drone taxis are no longer a figment.......... READ MORE
Air taxi News & Articles
More efficient air taxis in the future
As we catapult ourselves deeper into the 21st century, we are continually met with technological.......... READ MORE
Air taxi News & Articles
The Coming Electric Air Taxi Revolution: Competing with Train Tickets ?
The Dutch company, Electron Aviation, is making a bold promise that is set to disrupt.......... READ MORE
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
Unveiling the Whisper of Innovation: CycloTech’s Exploration into CycloRotor Noise Levels
In the fast-paced realm of aeronautical engineering, the introduction of CycloRotors has heralded a paradigm.......... READ MORE
Points of interest
Sailing the Skies in Style: Airbus’s Novel Vision for Air Travel
Navigating the dawn of a fresh chapter in aviation, Airbus recently shared its audacious plans.......... READ MORE
Drones News & Articles
Boosting Agriculture: A Drone Revolution Awaits in Budapest
The stage is set in Hungary, as it stands on the brink of an exciting.......... READ MORE
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
Embracing the Future with Rolls-Royce’s Revolutionary UltraFan Engine
Just when you thought the apex of innovation had been reached, Rolls-Royce challenges the notion.......... READ MORE
Air taxi News & Articles
Testing of perhaps the most promising air taxi begins
For some of us, the very idea of an air taxi evokes scenes straight out.......... READ MORE