Aston Martin unveils hybrid fighter jet like 'sports car for the skies' that flies at 322 kmph
Aston Martin unveiled a three-seater hybrid-electric vehicle this week at the Farnborough Airshow and, though the concept remains for now the stuff of science fiction, it believes this fighter jet type flying machine could help one day to revolutionise travel.
"The same way that you have Uber and you have an Aston Martin, you`ll have `Uber in the skies` and you`ll have `Aston Martin in the skies`," said Aston Martin`s Simon Sproule, adding that such an aircraft won`t come cheap.
This Aston Martin Volante Vision Concept design has vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capabilities and will be able to hit speeds of around 200 miles per hour (322 kph), "so you can go from the centre of Birmingham to the centre of London in about 30 minutes," Sproule told Reuters.
Aviation and technology leaders are working to make electric-powered flying taxis a reality, including Airbus, U.S. ride-sharing firm Uber and a range of start-ups including one backed by Google co-founder Larry Page, called Kitty Hawk. Aston Martin believes it could corner the market for luxury flying vehicles in the future.
"This is clearly a luxury object - it`s a sports car for the skies - so pricing is going to be commensurate with that, so certainly into the seven figures," Aston Martin 's Sproule added.
Aston Martin has partnered with Cranfield University, Cranfield Aerospace Solutions and British jet engine maker Rolls-Royce to develop the concept vehicle, including artificial intelligence-powered autonomous capabilities.
Commenting on how to pilot the vehicle, Cranfield`s Helen Atkinson said: "You`ve got to detect what`s going on in the external environment and then turn that around incredibly quickly in the computer system with the artificial intelligence built in to actually achieve the necessary level of autonomy."