Photo: Opener
Flying cars are one step closer to reality. The same applies to flying electric, autonomous cars, as one Silicon Valley startup, Opener, can prove with its project Blackfly.
Under current regulations, Blackfly classifies as an “ultralight aircraft,” but it’s actually a very small and very powerful, one-passenger flying car. It’s also fully electric and autonomous, and has been performing excellently in tests, Marcu Leng of Opener tells CBS News.
The best thing about Blackfly (besides the obvious, that it can fly) is that it can be piloted by virtually anyone, Leng explains for the media outlet. You don’t need a pilot’s license, but you do need a few minutes’ worth of training before hopping in and taking flight.
It can travel 25 miles on a single charge, at top speeds of 62mph. Recharging it takes about 25 minutes and it’s extremely quiet.
Leng estimates that Blackfly will go on sale sometime next year and he’s thrilled at the idea of putting more people in the sky. He won’t do it for too high a price tag either: asked how much a Blackfly will cost, he says it won’t be more expensive than an SUV.
“We first flew 10,000 miles,” Leng says of the prototype that has been 9 years in the making. “We did a thousand-plus flights. Autonomous. And we had a payload of 200 pounds.”
Alan Eustace, former vice president of knowledge at Google, is on the board of Opener. He believes Blackfly will become a reality soon, once regulations change to include flying cars. As an “ultralight aircraft,” for example, it can’t fly over urban areas or at night. In other words, you can only use it for fun, not for its obvious functionality.
“There's regulatory issues to deal with but if we could get through,” Eustace tells the same media outlet. “You could take this vehicle, you could put it out here, you could fly to San Francisco and you could be there in eight minutes.”
Just think how much traffic this could clear up.
The best thing about Blackfly (besides the obvious, that it can fly) is that it can be piloted by virtually anyone, Leng explains for the media outlet. You don’t need a pilot’s license, but you do need a few minutes’ worth of training before hopping in and taking flight.
It can travel 25 miles on a single charge, at top speeds of 62mph. Recharging it takes about 25 minutes and it’s extremely quiet.
Leng estimates that Blackfly will go on sale sometime next year and he’s thrilled at the idea of putting more people in the sky. He won’t do it for too high a price tag either: asked how much a Blackfly will cost, he says it won’t be more expensive than an SUV.
“We first flew 10,000 miles,” Leng says of the prototype that has been 9 years in the making. “We did a thousand-plus flights. Autonomous. And we had a payload of 200 pounds.”
Alan Eustace, former vice president of knowledge at Google, is on the board of Opener. He believes Blackfly will become a reality soon, once regulations change to include flying cars. As an “ultralight aircraft,” for example, it can’t fly over urban areas or at night. In other words, you can only use it for fun, not for its obvious functionality.
“There's regulatory issues to deal with but if we could get through,” Eustace tells the same media outlet. “You could take this vehicle, you could put it out here, you could fly to San Francisco and you could be there in eight minutes.”
Just think how much traffic this could clear up.
Google News