No Longer A Work Of Science-Fiction, The Jetson One Flying Car, A Proven Working Prototype

Envisioning a utopia where all vehicles are soaring in the sky instead of rolling on the ground, Jetson, a Swedish-based company, is now one step closer with the One. 

Demonstrating the future of personal commuting, co-founder and inventor, Tomasz Patan has taken the Jetson One working prototype, which is a race car turned helicopter out for a test.

Although only minimal details were disclosed, it's said the regular commute time from point A to point B was slashed by up to 88 percent.

To begin with, the One is just the latest in the growing number of electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing aircrafts (eVTOLs) being developed for personal use. 

More like a helicopter and unlike a private jet, an eVTOL like the One takes off and lands vertically, which saves on building a runway anywhere a flying car has to fly or land. 

At the same time, akin to a Tesla, rather than combusting fuel, many eVTOLs are designed to run on electricity, as does the One. 

Other than that, the craft is said to have a maximum speed of 101 km/h (63 mph), but limits users to 20-minute flights before the batteries need recharging. 

Then, it only supports a payload capacity of 95 kg. As such, future pilots might need to diet before climbing into the cockpit.

The One also has onboard LiDAR sensors that ensure obstacle avoidance, and a triple-redundant flight computer.

Last but not least, its claimed ability of being able to continue flying with the loss of a motor, which further enhances the ease and safety of operation.

Speaking of which, due to it being a single person flier, this raises concerns about the legality of flying such a vehicle, whether a licensed pilot is needed to even use one.

Be it so, with the automotive industry constantly evolving, by the time the One is fully realized, there might be new tests and certifications in place similar to driving land-bound vehicles.

What’s more, these flying cars might also introduce a new kind of traffic congestion given their very personal nature and design. 

Unlike a grounded vehicle, an eVTOL doesn’t really support carpooling. Meaning there will be dozens, if not hundreds, of these flying contraptions soaring in the air in that future scenario. 

Not to mention, it could also lead to a lot of manufacturing waste, just like what is happening with regular cars nowadays.

Fortunately, by still being far from reaching that point, despite the success of this test flight, it’s best to prepare for the inevitable rather than being caught off-guard.

Regardless, the real obstacle to anyone becoming a pilot of the Jetson One flying car is its pricing. It tags at USD 22,000 (RM 96,844) to order and a total of USD 92,000 (RM 404,984) to take delivery.

That said, the first batch of the Jetson One flying cars to be delivered in 2022 are sold out, whereas for the 2023’s, just three of the 105 currently being readied are still available.