Toyota is jumping on the flying car bandwagon by announcing plans to give 42.5 million yen ($374,090) to Cartivator over the next three years.
Designed to support the group’s development of flying vehicles, the funds will be used to create a manned flying car prototype by the end of 2018. If everything goes according to plan, Cartivator aims to use a flying car to light the torch at the opening ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Cartivator’s SkyDrive model is currently under development but the final design is scheduled to be unveiled in July. The flying car is slated to measure 2,900mm (9.5 feet) long, 1,300mm (4.2 feet) wide, and 1,100mm (3.6 feet) tall.
The three-wheeled flying car will be able to take-off and land on public roads and has a target flight speed of 100 km/h (62 mph). On land, owners can expect to travel at speeds up to 150 km/h (93 mph). The SkyDrive only has a target altitude of 10m (32.8 feet) but that should be high enough to fly over traffic jams and congestion.
Little else is known about the project but the SkyDrive promises to have intuitive operation and is being supported by a handful of automotive suppliers including Aisin and Denso.
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