A woman looks out of her car window at the row of towering buildings and houses around her. On the streets, people are bustling about like lines of ants.
In the distance, a mountain covered in clouds can be faintly seen. She then looks back, and a vehicle lands on a luxurious building. No, Ladies, this is not a fantasy. This is the future of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) that is going to become a reality!
What is AAM?
Advanced Air Mobility
Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) has actually become a common term in the discourse of future air transportation. Referring to advanced air transportation systems with more efficient and adaptive mobility solutions, AAM consists of several types, one of which is the flying car.
As of 2019, there were already 20 manufacturers developing flying cars, including the company Alef Aeronautics.
After successfully creating its first flying car prototype in 2019 named Model A, Alef Aeronautics received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct test flights in 2023.
This two-seater car can travel a driving distance of 322 km and a flying distance of 177 km. In terms of design, Model A is designed like a regular car. The difference is that Model A is designed for vertical takeoff like a helicopter. Once in the air, its doors will automatically become wings.
Pretty cool, right?
Despite its promise, many of the necessary components are not yet available on the market, such as specific propeller systems, making investors hesitant to invest further in the flying car business.
Okay, so what are the advantages of flying cars compared to regular cars, besides... you know, flying?
Advantages of Flying Cars
1. Minimal Air Pollution
It’s no secret that land vehicles like cars, which still rely on gas fuel, worsen air pollution levels.
Although you can take some steps to maintain your health amid air pollution, generally, air pollution will still affect health because it contains harmful particles, such as carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, benzene, and others.
The presence of flying cars will drastically reduce air pollution since flying cars use electricity as their fuel.
2. Lower Emissions
Two types of greenhouse gas emissions that directly impact the environment are carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. When entering the atmosphere, these gases trap heat and cause climate change.
Regarding human health, climate change accompanied by extreme weather can cause various diseases, including typhus and malaria.
A study shows that flying cars reduce these emissions by 52% per 100 km of travel. With reduced emissions, climate change will gradually decrease.
3. Reducing Traffic Congestion
The more land vehicles there are, the more land infrastructure is needed, such as highways, parking lots, and so on. So, it’s understandable that traffic congestion is hard to solve unless there are drastic and significant changes.
This is one of the advantages of flying cars, which is reducing land infrastructure, so traffic congestion can eventually be resolved, reducing infrastructure maintenance costs as well.
When Will Flying Cars Be Mass Produced?
There are several concerns with the presence of flying cars, one of which is safety. The problem is that flying a car isn’t as easy as flying a drone. Many aspects need to be considered to ensure the safety of passengers, the environment, and the surrounding community.
Can you imagine if the flying car suddenly runs out of power? If not carefully thought out, houses might collapse from being hit by a flying car. That’s dangerous!
Not to mention natural factors like heavy rain, strong winds, and snow, which can hinder travel. Specific regulations must also be created because flying cars are definitely different from land vehicles and conventional airplanes.
When will we be able to experience flying cars? No one knows for sure. But what is clear is that these concerns must be addressed first before flying cars are ready for mass production.
If flying cars are eventually mass-produced, would you be interested in buying one?
While waiting for flying cars to be ready for mass production, let’s read other exciting technology information on Fitie!