Dutch company PAL-V International expects to market the world's first flying car in 2019. The company showed its PAL-V Liberty for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland.
The PAL-V Liberty is a vehicle that combines the features of a car and an aircraft. Users can decide in which mode they want to use the vehicle; switching between driving and flying mode takes about five to 10 minutes. To fly in the PAL-V Liberty, users need a pilot's licence. The vehicle has already been approved by both the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Born out of frustration
PAL-V International is a Dutch company founded in 2007 by CEO Robert Dingemans and major shareholder John Bakker. The idea for the vehicle came from Bakker's mind and was born out of frustration at the fact that aircraft always have to take off from a fixed location, with the pilot having to leave his or her car at the airport. Bakker therefore decided to design a car that could fly, allowing users to reach any location with their own vehicle. This idea eventually evolved into the PAL-V Liberty. Besides Dingemans, PAL-V's management team consists of R&D manager Bartjan Rietdijk, Chief Engineer Mike Stekelenburg and CMO & Sales Officer Dr Markus G. Hess.
The design of the PAL-V Liberty is inspired by a gyrocopter, an aircraft with an engineless rotor. The design is also inspired by the Carver One, a three-wheeled vehicle from Dutch company Carver that leans along when cornering. This system allows to compensate high centre of gravity of a gyrocopter and ensure that the vehicle can travel safely on public roads. PAL-V started building the first prototype of the flying car in 2008, followed by the first driving tests in 2009. The company has since developed the PAL-V Liberty, which should be commercially available from 2019.
Pilot's licence
The PAL-V Liberty may be driven on the road by any motorist with a driving licence. However, those who want to fly the vehicle need a pilot's licence for gyrocopters. PAL-V has its own flight school called PAL-V Flight Academy, where customers can obtain this pilot's licence. PAL-V says customers can have their pilot's licence in their hands after about 30 to 40 hours of training. Once the PAL-V Liberty is delivered, customers will receive additional training for this particular vehicle.
The flying car seats two people and can carry up to 20 kilograms of luggage. Empty, the vehicle weighs 664 kilograms, while the maximum weight at which the PAL-V Liberty can take off is 910 kilograms. The vehicle is equipped with two engines: a 100HP engine for road use and a 200HP variant for air use. Both engines run on Euro 95, Euro 98 or E10 fuel. On the road, the PAL-V Liberty can reach 100 km/h in less than 9 seconds, while the top speed is 160 km/h. On the ground, the vehicle has a range of 1,315 kilometres and consumes 7.6 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres.
Airborne features
In the air, the vehicle's maximum speed increases to 180 km/h, although PAL-V says the flying car moves most efficiently through the air at 140 km/h. The maximum airborne range is 500 kilometres, assuming a 30-minute fuel reserve and the presence of one occupant. If the vehicle is maximally loaded and a fuel reserve of 30 minutes is maintained, the maximum range drops to 400 kilometres. According to PAL-V, this means in practice that about 4.3 hours can be flown with the PAL-V Liberty before the vehicle has to be refuelled. While flying, the vehicle consumes 26 litres of fuel per hour.
The PAL-V Liberty can fly at an altitude of up to 3,500 metres and needs 30 metres to land. The vehicle requires a 180-metre runway to take off, while after 330 metres the vehicle has risen enough to fly over an object 50 metres high.
Parking in regular parking bays
If the flying car is used in driving mode, the vehicle's rotor is folded up on the roof. This ensures that the dimensions of the PAL-V Liberty remain limited; in driving mode, the vehicle is 4 metres long, 2 metres wide and 1.7 metres high. PAL-V says this allows the vehicle to be parked in any regular parking space, including car parks. This allows users to fly with the vehicle to an airport near their destination, switch from flight mode to drive mode, travel the final kilometres to their final destination with the same vehicle, and park the flying car at their destination on their doorstep like a traditional car. When the vehicle is placed in flight mode and the rotor unfolded, the PAL-V Liberty is 6.1 metres long, 2 metres wide and 3.2 metres high.
PAL-V expects to deliver the first units of the PAL-V Liberty in 2019. The vehicle will come in two variants: PAL-V Liberty Sports Edition and the PAL-V Liberty Pioneer Edition. The 299,000 euros exclusive of taxes PAL-V Liberty Sports Edition is the 'standard version' of the PAL-V Liberty, while the PAL-V Liberty Pioneer Edition, on sale for 499,000 euros exclusive of taxes, comes with a variety of options. This more expensive variant also offers more options to personalise the vehicle to your liking. The PAL-V Liberty Pioneer Edition will be produced in an edition of only 90 units and delivered to customers first. Once these vehicles are delivered, the company will start delivering the PAL-V Liberty Sports Edition.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
Source: PAL-V International (pictured)
