If you thought that cars of today’s world were limited to the ground and were destined only for the roads, then you could not be more wrong. Modern cars are no longer vehicles with set blueprint and limited usage. The scope for modern vehicles is unlimited and when they wish to go green, there is nothing stopping them to do so in a spectacular way. The Skycar Expedition team plan to take the eye-catching vehicle from London to Timbouctou in 2009, using a combination of flight and driving to battle the tough Saharan terrain. There’s a commuter model in the pipeline – and you won’t need a pilot’s license to fly it.
The 3000 miles of journey from London to Timbouctou will not be easy but the green journey is not just a spectacular attempt to improve the flying cars technology but will be well and truly kind towards the planet. A cross between a dune buggy and a paraglider, the Skycar prototype is a steel-framed all-terrain vehicle running on a biodiesel-modified Yamaha R1 1000cc motorcycle engine. The motor runs through a Continuously Variable Transmission either to power the rear wheels or to turn a large rear-facing propeller via a belt drive. The entire journey will be emissions-free and that is a really encouraging sign for the future.
It is interesting and heartening to know that the future is not just exciting and in the air but is also green in regards to the automobile industry. Taking to air is something that I have never been against and when stats say that Paragliding is far safer than bike riding then there is nothing to complain. The expedition prototype is expected to cost only UK£35,000 and a production vehicle at that range would be awesome indeed!
