Category: Design

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPsawyK81XY&feature=youtu.be

Simple Carver?

Shortly after the Dutch Carver Project went bankrupt, BMW published its Simple Project…..as I understood recently when I found this Youtube video of the Simple Carver…

Simple is the acronym for Sustainable and Innovative Mobility Product for Low Energy consumption, a vehicle concept combining features and advantages of both motorcars and motorcycles. The concept owes its protective passenger compartment to motorcars whereas the streamline shape, the two occupants seated one behind the other and the uniquely driving experience are naturally owed to motorcycles. Whilst researching ideas for futuristic urban mobility combined with the prerequisite of reduced consumption (less than 2l /100 km eqals more than 120mpg) and emission values (50g CO2 /100 km), the BMW Group spawned this concept vehicle featuring the extremely low weight of 450 kg and aerodynamic drag properties (0,18 drag coefficient), which of course also fulfilled all the BMW Group premium brand demands: sheer driving pleasure, innovative vehicle configuration, technology integration and a sense of comfort and spaciousness.

Slovakian Flying Car Aeromobil 3.0 Unveiled

I Came across this video of the Aeromobil 3.0 which speaks for itself.

The Aeromobil 3.0 is the flying car’s second or third version. It was recently unveiled in Vienna at the inventors show.

From the site Aeromobil :

Transforms in seconds from an automobile to an airplane. Gives you freedom to move.

AeroMobil is a flying car that perfectly makes use of existing infrastructure created for automobiles and planes, and opens doors to real door-to-door travel. As a car it fits into any standard parking space, uses regular gasoline, and can be used in road traffic just like any other car. As a plane it can use any airport in the world, but can also take off and land using any grass strip or paved surface just a few hundred meters long.
…
It is now finalised and has been in regular flight-testing program in real flight conditions since October 2014.

The AeroMobil 3.0 is predominantly built from advanced composite material. That includes its body shell, wings, and wheels. It also contains all the main features that are likely to be incorporated into the final product, such as avionics equipment, autopilot and an advanced parachute deployment system.

Via the Slovakian site Start it Up

PAL-V

And then the nagging began, because I knew I have a post about a flying car here on the blog. Searching on the term flying car didn’t bring me further, but eventually I found the post Dutch Design (7): It drives and flies: PAL-V

Although the Carver car on which design the PAL-V is based doesn’t seem to be in production anymore, the PAL-V seems on the verge of being launched in 2016 after it passed its flying tests.

The Dutch company PAL-V Europe NV has successfully concluded test flights of its flying car, PAL-V (Personal Air and Land Vehicle).

During the past two weeks, several test flights were conducted at the Gilze Rijen Airport (The Netherlands). The patented vehicle flies in the air like a
gyrocopter with lift generated by an auto-rotating rotor and forward speed produced by a fold-able push propeller on the back.
On the road it drives like a sports car. No new infrastructure is required, because it uses existing roads and airstrips