You normally only see an electric car on the road. But this vehicle also flies in the air thanks to a Transformers-like feature.
In a typical episode of The Transformers, you see the most ingenious vehicles transforming themselves into robots, or vice versa. While that is far from happening in the real world, this vehicle comes pretty close.
In the Philippines, for the first time, manufacturer LuftCar LLC is coming out with a minivan that can do the same thing. As a result, you can use the vehicle not only as an electric car, but also as an airplane. Meet the new Luft Pinoy.
The electric car with a bizarre Transformers feature
What makes the Pinoy unique is that it is sort of a combination of an electric car and a drone. The EV is equipped with four propellers, which, like a drone, allow it to take off.
Interestingly, the electric car is powered by hydrogen. So the vehicle does not use fossil fuels. Therefore, the Pinoy is also good for the environment.
In most flying cars, the wings are attached to the chassis of the vehicle. Because of this, of course, you can’t drive the EV on the road very easily, because before you know it you’ll knock over another car. With the Pinoy, you can easily remove the wings and propellers from the vehicle, just like Transformers, so you can continue driving a regular electric car.
That makes the electric car an ideal option for island hopping. So there is no better country than the Philippines to develop the Pinoy, since there are more than 7,101 islands there.
When can we start flying?
LuftCar LLC thinks the first version of the design will be ready by the end of 2024. The electric car will first be used for military purposes and cargo transport. The company says the flying car design is specially made to fit the needs of the Philippines.
But it will probably be some time before we see “Transformers cars” in real use. After all, they still have to comply with all the rules that apply to regular cars in most places, and they can’t just take off and land anywhere. That makes them much less convenient than you might think.