Flying cars have been a futuristic concept for decades, but with advancing technology, they may soon become a reality. Imagine being able to bypass traffic and fly above it all, arriving at your destination in a fraction of the time. Flying cars could shape how we commute, work, and live in the coming decades.
Applied eVTOL Concepts, one of the companies working on making these fantastic fly machines a reality, has revealed a new mode of personal mobility, the Epiphany Transporter. The vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicle is capable of a top speed of 160 mph (258 km/h) and is exceptionally quiet, generating less than 55 decibels of noise at 50 feet (15 meters) up.
The Epiphany Transporter boasts morphing, dual-mode, ducted thrusters that enable it to hover like a helicopter and attain efficient high-speed cruise flight like an airplane. The vehicle is intended to be simple and safe to operate and can accommodate two people, their luggage, plus golf clubs.
The company says the Epiphany is about the size of a Tesla Model ‘S’ automobile and fits into a standard one-car garage with its thrusters folded up.
Originally developed under a $5.1 million Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) grant, the NASA-proven ducted thrusters have undergone over a quarter-century of refinement through full-scale flight testing in wind tunnels and several prototype manned vehicles.
“We have every reason to believe in the ability of our proprietary, field-proven ducted thrusters and leading-edge vehicle design to perform in flight as expected,” said Michael Moshier, Founder, CEO, and Lead Designer of Applied eVTOL Concepts.
The Epiphany Transporter is the result of an intense alliance between the two men over the last several years working in virtual stealth mode. Now, the team’s focus is on personal eVTOL aircraft for UAM (Urban Air Mobility) using advanced technology electric motors and batteries.
