Eco Factor: Air car powered with bioethanol for a fuel-efficient future.
Cars capable of flying have to become a reality sooner or later, and though some prototypes of flying cars have been built, none has ever shown that they can get the unique flying capability without jeopardizing the environment. If the dreams of Giles Cardozo are to be believed, then the world can have an ecofriendly flying car by the end of 2009.
Cardozo has developed a flying car called the Parajet Skycar. The car is powered by a 140bhp Yamaha R1 superbike engine with a lightweight automatic CVT gear-box, which gives the car a top flying speed of 80 mph. The fan that that has been strapped on to the back provides a stable launch and a safe landing. Cardozo is now planning to fly the vehicle 3,700 miles from England to Timbuktu on January 14th to prove its air worthiness.
The car incorporates a built-in safety system in case the fan stops functioning in mid air. Once the fans stop working the car is able to glide safely to the ground without any motor assistance, and an additional back-up is a roof-mounted parachute to bring you down to safety if something seriously goes wrong onboard. If Cardozo is able to prove the air-worthiness of the car then we might soon be able to see such cars in showrooms carrying a price tag somewhere in the range of £40,000.
The Dark Side:
Bioethanol, though renewable, has its own side effects. The fuel alone cannot make the skycar a zero emissions car. Moreover, using 100% ethanol would mean that the skycar would not be as fuel-efficient as one would want it to be.
Via: Treehugger/Gas2
