autoevolution
 

Pall-V One Is a Hybrid Car and Gyroplane James Bond Would Love

While some people keep chasing celebrity diets and lifestyles, or watch football matches yet taking another sip of their 6-pack of beer, innovative engineers think of new ways to break mankind’s boundaries. It’s the case of the Dutch company Pal-V Europe NV, based in Raamsdonksveer, the Netherlands. Shaped like a bullet, the two person 3-wheeled machine is a personal air and land vehicle designed for the rich.
Pall-V 1 photo
Photo: www.pal-v.com
On the ground, it has the comfort of a car with the agility of a motorcycle. But once you get bored of the road, Pall-V can be driven to the nearest airfield, where it takes off just like any other airplane. The single rotor and propeller, that are unfolded, will take 10 minutes to get the machine ready to fly.

Once in the sky, the bullet-shaped vehicle flies below 4,000 feet (1,200 m), which means no license is needed. The two person vehicle is powered by a very robust, flight certified aircraft engine, running on gasoline. It might look like a little toy, but know this: it can reach speeds of up to 112 mph (180 km/h) both on land and in the air. What’s even better, this baby has a very short take off and landing capability, making it possible to land practically anywhere.

While driven on road, the estimated consumption is 28 mpg (12 km/l) having a range of 750 miles (1,200 km). In the air, the estimated fuel economy is 9,5 gph (36 l/h) with a range than goes from 220 to 315 miles (350-500km), depending on the Pal-V type.

What truly makes this three-wheeled hybrid special is the increased availability of cutting-edge composite materials and a mechanical-hydraulic articulated rear suspension. Together, these technologies enabled its designers to make the Pall-V light enough to fly, yet strong enough for the road use. Moreover, the craft is able to lean into turns like a motorcycle-boosting stability despite a high centre of gravity.

“Before this technology, a three-wheeled car with a high centre of gravity couldn’t drive safely,” Robert Dingemanse, chief executive officer of Pal-V Europe, explained for BBC. According to the source, the company currently is taking orders only from customers in the Netherlands, but he expects international orders to be available this fall. Dingemanse says the first Pal-Vs will be delivered in 2016, with a maximum production capability of 150 units per year for the first two or three years.

You’ve probably already guessed the half car/half gyrocopter won’t come cheap. Well, it costs about the same amount of money you’d need to buy a Lambo and a new one-engine airplane, all together, $395,000 (EUR 289,000), but it looks like the perfect rich-toy to get on the market.

If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories