Beijing Institute of Technology Chongqing Innovation Center has held a presentation dedicated to a flying car concept capable of being driven on public roads. Cool Black Technology and the municipal authorities of Chongqing collaborated on the project, CarNewsChina reports.
The vehicle comprises three distinct parts: the copter, the cabin and the self-piloted chassis. It has eight shoulders extending from the main body, with two rotors mounted on each shoulder. The maximum take-off weight is 650 kilos (1,433 pounds), the operating load is 280 kg (617 pounds), and the top speed is 80 km/h (50 mph).
When on the ground, a quartet of motorized wheels propels the chassis forward. The cabin retains all the controls for manual piloting. The main units couple and uncouple automatically. High precision of positioning and route planning enables the pilots to switch between aerial mode and ground mode smoothly, the developer team says.
The project is still in its early stages, but tests should begin in Chongqing soon. According to Zhang Jinhua, executive vice chairman and secretary-general of the Society of Automotive Engineers of China, a vehicle configuration combining land and air transports in a single body is a promising direction to innovate in. China’s mid-term and long-term state development strategies until 2035 pledge support to research and innovation projects in the flying car industry.