It doesn’t do to live looking ahead and rushing through the present but, every once in a while, a spot of daydreaming is welcome. So, with the industry of eVTOLs (electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft) still very much in the bud, here’s a look beyond at the future of recreational vehicles.
At the moment of press, various companies are working on the development of eVTOLs. Once full-scale vehicles start testing in the real world, issues regarding range and infrastructure will still have to be considered, so that milestone will mark the middle of a lengthy (unexpectedly so) process.
That is just a delicate way of saying that flying cars are still years into the future regardless of their capacity. The most optimistic scenarios have a 5-year timeline for the start of the production, but you’re excused if you’re not holding your breath for it: after all, we’ve heard all this before.
These considerations aside, here is one concept that looks beyond small-capacity eVTOLs. Whereas most concepts these days focus on personal use and minimal capacity, this one turns a recreational vehicle into a flying car. A flying RV: an Air.V, as automotive designer Marcelo Aguiar calls it. It’s the perfect ideation to start off summer vacation plans and daydream of the moment when it could become a reality.
The Air.V is just what the name implies: it’s an RV stripped of wheels and fitted with retractable wings—four of them, to be more accurate. A quadcopter, if you will, but one imagined in the design language that Polestar is known for. So, it’s sleek, minimalist and luxurious-looking, and will probably be expensive as well.
Each wing has micro-reactors used to gain speed, altitude, and change direction, and fold down when the RV is no longer in flight mode. That offers protection from the elements for the micro-reactors and adds to the overall minimalist feel of the vehicle.
In reality, the Air.V is formed of a protective shell to which a glass cabin is attached. That allows for plenty of natural light, entering from the side and the front and rear, but also through the skylight. Since we’re talking about a rather distant future, it’s safe to assume that the glass would be tinted and double as screens so that, on the inside, the entire glazing would double as an infotainment unit when needed.
Two captain’s chairs are located up front. They’re inspired by the iconic Eames Lounge Chair and are both comfortable and functional: when in flight mode, they face the “windshield” and sit on an elevated platform for maximum visibility. When the Air.V is parked, the platform can be lowered, and the chairs swivel to face the interior.
Though this flying RV seems large, it’s probably designed for just two occupants, give or take a small child or a pet (or two). It has a small bathroom in the rear and a bedroom opposite it, and the center space is mostly taken up by the living room, which incorporates the open-plan kitchen. As small as the interior footprint seems to be, you have to appreciate the little details, though: the Air.V has a small balcony, too. Just perfect for your morning coffee or yoga session—or whatever the future you will be into.
The interior design is only minimally detailed, and, as such, it doesn’t look like the most inviting home away from home, where you’d want to spend your vacations. So, in the hope our future RVs will not turn out to be this sterile, here’s a proposal for a flying recreational vehicle that would make our vacations all the more fun.
That is just a delicate way of saying that flying cars are still years into the future regardless of their capacity. The most optimistic scenarios have a 5-year timeline for the start of the production, but you’re excused if you’re not holding your breath for it: after all, we’ve heard all this before.
These considerations aside, here is one concept that looks beyond small-capacity eVTOLs. Whereas most concepts these days focus on personal use and minimal capacity, this one turns a recreational vehicle into a flying car. A flying RV: an Air.V, as automotive designer Marcelo Aguiar calls it. It’s the perfect ideation to start off summer vacation plans and daydream of the moment when it could become a reality.
Each wing has micro-reactors used to gain speed, altitude, and change direction, and fold down when the RV is no longer in flight mode. That offers protection from the elements for the micro-reactors and adds to the overall minimalist feel of the vehicle.
In reality, the Air.V is formed of a protective shell to which a glass cabin is attached. That allows for plenty of natural light, entering from the side and the front and rear, but also through the skylight. Since we’re talking about a rather distant future, it’s safe to assume that the glass would be tinted and double as screens so that, on the inside, the entire glazing would double as an infotainment unit when needed.
Two captain’s chairs are located up front. They’re inspired by the iconic Eames Lounge Chair and are both comfortable and functional: when in flight mode, they face the “windshield” and sit on an elevated platform for maximum visibility. When the Air.V is parked, the platform can be lowered, and the chairs swivel to face the interior.
The interior design is only minimally detailed, and, as such, it doesn’t look like the most inviting home away from home, where you’d want to spend your vacations. So, in the hope our future RVs will not turn out to be this sterile, here’s a proposal for a flying recreational vehicle that would make our vacations all the more fun.