To most people, flying cars are the stuff of idle daydreams, musings on what daily life in a long-distant future time might look like. For one electrical engineer, however, they’re something much more tangible: an innovative solution to real-world problems.
Felipe Varon of Varon Vehicles Corporation says he always loved the notion of flying. In his world, however, aviation is purpose-driven. “I don’t want just a cool toy. I want something with social impact to help people and cities,” said Varon.
A Project Well Underway
Varon’s initial foray into the futuristic world of flying cars came in 2006, when he wrote his graduate thesis on the feasibility of such inventions. He describes the prototype he built for the project as a flying table with a motor and propellers. His first design was not unlike a drone, and Varon knew that his design would need significant refinement to distinguish itself from those ubiquitous (and remotely steered) machines. When he founded Varon Vehicles a short time later, development on a true flying car continued with differentiation in mind.
Today, Varon’s flying models look like automobiles, albeit unusual ones. They are designed to fly at very low altitudes to avoid conflict with ground-based vehicle traffic below or plane traffic above. They’re also entirely electric, which the company feels is a good first step toward making them completely eco-friendly vehicles. Further, operation of the machines is simple, with navigation handled almost entirely by a computer system. Varon indicates that the long-term target is to make these flying machines operable by anyone in much the same way that standard cars are today.
Luxury Goods? Not so Fast
A common concern raised in this era of transportation overhaul is that the vehicles of the future will be priced out of the range of most people. Despite the flashy appearance of Varon’s machines, his company doesn’t plan to market them as luxury goods. In fact, it may not market them at all.
“We’re not focused on designing and building flying cars to sell them,” Varon said. “It would be for a service. And if I can get away with it, I would like the service to be free.” The type of service Varon is referring to would vary by location, but an obvious niche to fill could involve delivering necessities to remote areas in poor parts of the world. In some developing countries, for example, it can take hours to bring food, water and other essentials to struggling populations. Varon’s flying cars could cut that delivery time by 75 percent or more.
While rolling out flying cars as a widespread solution to these challenges remains far off, this company is working hard to make it happen. The prototype was launched in Colombia earlier this year and was well-received. In the near future, the company plans to bring testing to sites in Europe and the United States. While there are certainly economic hurdles to making a flying car delivery service workable, other markets could easily develop, such as easing the suburban-urban commutes of people that consume untold hours all over the world. Distant though the vehicle may still be, Varon’s work on bringing flying cars to market could pay dividends for urban professionals and underserved rural residents alike.
The flying car space is driving significant investment from a variety of players in 2018. Get the scoop on Uber’s rollout of its flying car concept here.