For one, the Transition now drives in hybrid mode with a combination of a conventional gas-powered motor and a safer-than-usual lithium-ion phosphate battery. The throttle now includes a boost option for a brief burst of extra power. Partners Dynon and BRS are providing avionics and a parachute system, while the interior is getting improved seats, an "attractive and intuitive" interface, more luggage space and improved safety that includes better seat belts and airbags.
There are still some mysteries left, including that all-important price. However, the news suggests that Volvo parent Geely's acquisition of Terrafugia .. https://www.engadget.com/2017/11/14/volvos-parent-company-now-owns-a-flying-car-startup/ .. might be paying off. The firm now has the kind of material support and connections that it wouldn't have had before, not to mention an extra motivation to bring its flying car to market.
Via: CNET
Source: Terrafugia
In this article: aircraft, flyingcar, gear, geely, hybrid, terrafugia, transition, transportation, vehicle
One of the most common complaints against science is that we don’t have jetpacks yet, as was ‘promised’. This is not due to the inadequacy of scientists but the restrictions of physics and anatomy, not to mention the fact that jetpacks are a terrible idea
Dean Burnett @garwboy Tue 23 Sep 2014 02.15 EDT Last modified on Thu 22 Feb 2018 07.29 EST
Jetpacks: not such a good idea, when you think about it. Illustration: Simon Feeley
“Where’s my jetpack?”
[...]
Gravity is the major issue. In July 2013, a team of engineers from the University of Toronto built a pedal-powered device that allowed one man to hover for more than 60 seconds, and they were awarded $250,000 for it. Contrast this with the Tour de France, where hundreds of humans on pedal-powered vehicles manage to cross an entire country (and a big one at that), and you see how much easier it is to go horizontally than upwards.
This is all due to Newton and his laws of mechanics. With upward travel, you need enough force to cancel out gravity before you can go anywhere. Bear in mind, this is a force exerted by the total mass of planet Earth, which is, to give it the full technical term, “hefty”.
Obviously it is possible to overcome gravity, because flight and space travel exist, but it requires a lot of energy. At present, the most practical fuel sources we have are chemical. Jet fuel and rocket fuel are both made using highly reactive chemicals, which have physical mass that has to be accounted for. The more energy you need, the more fuel you need for your flying vehicle. The more fuel you need, the more your vehicle weighs. The more it weighs, the more energy is needed to move it, and thus a vicious cycle occurs (which is also an appropriate term for pedal-powered flight).
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