Kim Macdonald: NIMBYs, one day you can complain about flying cars too

Back in the 80s, my primary school class was told to draw what Perth would look like in the year 2000, which led to 32 images of flying cars. They have clearly been on the collective mind for generations, and a recent survey of about 1500 local people shows about half believe they will be around by 2050. The other half will no doubt scoff at the thought, but futurist Ben Hamer, who conducted the research, claims the naysayers have underestimated the industry. While it remains to be seen whether flying cars will ever become mainstream like regular cars, the technology already exists. International air mobility company Wisk is working towards having driverless flying taxis operational in Brisbane within a decade. Chinese carmaker XPeng was the first to market with the X2, an electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle, also referred to as an eVTOL or a flying car. Showcased at the Sydney International EV AutoShow recently, TrueEV — XPeng’s Australian importer and distributor — claims it is taking Australian orders at $200,000. It claims deliveries could start in 2026 but concedes it will be caught up in red tape for some time, and no one knows when the Civil Aviation Safety Authority will even allow it. Hyundai, Toyota and Uber are among those working on flying vehicle prototypes, while Morgan Stanley Research says eVTOL use could be common by 2040, underpinned by a $1.5 trillion market. EVTOLs should probably be considered affordable helicopters rather than flying cars, especially as they can’t be driven on the road. You would need a pilot’s licence to fly it and a helipad to land it. But there are also some roadable flying cars, like the Samson Switchblade. The three wheeler car can transform into a small aircraft within three minutes, with wings folding out from the chassis. It recently completed a six-minute maiden voyage in Washington, attaining road speeds of 125km/h and flight speeds of 322 km/h. But its use is limited because unlike eVTOLs, it requires a 335m tarmac for take off. It is taking orders at US$170,000 a pop. Alef Aeronautics claims its Model T combines the functionality of a plane with the usability of a car, though concedes it has a host of technological problems. The road-legal passenger car has a 322km driving range, a 177km flight range and looks much like a regular car. It has no need for a runway and should even fit into a traditional parking space. It has 3200 pre-orders for the US$300,000 cars. We need to start planning for this future. Perhaps all new skyscrapers and shopping centre should be required to have flat roofs for landing pads and charging stations. Maybe there should be designated landing pads at train stations and parks too. There are likely many planning battles ahead over noise and flight paths. And NIMBYs will no doubt have something new to complain about.