Have you ever seen a flying car passing you on the highway? Now
this is a real possibility!
The PAL-V Liberty has been approved for road usage and can now
be spotted on the European roads.
RAAMSDONKSVEER, Netherlands,
Oct. 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Who
hasn't dreamed about a flying car? Taking your car for a ride in
the sky? This dream is one step closer now. After flying and
driving the test prototype in 2012, PAL-V started the design of the
Liberty, its commercial product. Recently the Liberty passed the
stringent European road admission tests and now is allowed on the
streets with an official license plate. This completed a rigorous
and extensive drive test program carried out on test tracks since
February 2020. From high-speed ovals,
brake and noise pollution testing, the PAL-V is now ready to take
on the roads.
Mike Stekelenburg, CTO of PAL-V,
explained how he experienced this journey: "With the memories in
mind of fly and drive testing our proof of concept, the PAL-V One,
I was looking forward to testing the Liberty. We have been
cooperating with the road authorities for many years to reach this
milestone. The excitement you feel in the team is huge. It was very
challenging to make a "folded aircraft" pass all road admission
tests." Stekelenburg adds: "For me, the trick in successfully
making flying car is to ensure that the design complies with both
air and road regulations. I feel the energy and motivation in our
team to push hard for the last few milestones and get the Liberty
certified for flying too."
The PAL-V will be undergoing endurance testing for the coming
months, people can witness the PAL-V on the European roads from now
on.
Hans Joore, test-driver of PAL-V,
states: "When I fired-up the PAL-V for the first time I got
goosebumps! All the effort that we put into it came together at
that crucial moment. Hearing the vehicle come to life was just
magnificent and driving it was great. It's very smooth and
responsive to the steering and with a weight of just 660 kg it
accelerates really well. The overall experience is like a
sportscar. It feels sensational."
Since 2015 the PAL-V Liberty design has been going through
aviation certification with EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency).
Finalization is expected in 2022. The PAL-V Liberty significantly
benefits from the certification experience accumulated in the
earlier flight test program with the PAL-V One. Over 1200 test
reports need to be completed before the final 150 hours of flight
testing can take place. After this the deliveries to customers will
start.
PAL-V CEO, Robert Dingemanse,
added: "It's another great step forward for us, now we 'drive'
ahead to the last milestones. In parallel we organize roadshows
across Europe to demonstrate the
PAL-V to customers: Where shall we meet?"
www.PAL-V.com/roadshow
Photo -
https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1320542/PAL_V_Flying_Car.jpg