Do We Really Want Flying Cars?

Science fiction movies often portray cars flying through futuristic city landscapes, and the idea has fascinated people for decades. Amazingly, the technology for flying cars already exists! In fact, the first flying cars were built a century ago by automobile maker Henry Ford, but they did not work well. Ford himself said, “Mark my word: a combination airplane and motorcar is coming. You may smile. But it will come.”

After Ford, many other people attempted to design flying cars. Some of the cars worked, but they required runways to start and were not very practical. Today, however, several varieties that can take off and land vertically have been demonstrated at trade shows around the world. It seems like the future of flying to school or work through the air is at our fingertips. Yet while this technology exists, no company has followed through and begun using or selling it yet. Could it be because flying cars, although exciting, are not a wise idea after all?

Driving on Air

Supporters say that using flying cars for travel could provide many advantages. Obviously, more cars in the air would mean fewer cars on the roads. This would lead to fewer traffic jams. It would also lead to more peaceful roads. Proponents of flying cars say that roads could be changed into wide tree-lined pathways for cyclists and walkers. City streets would become quieter and more pleasant. Meanwhile, fewer large highways between cities would need to be constructed or widened. Wide highways cover a lot of land, and wildlife habitats are destroyed in their construction. If flying cars don’t need much space for storage, powering, landing, or taking off, their use may help protect animal habitats.

Another benefit of flying cars is how quickly they can reach a destination. On the ground, people need to turn down different streets and roads, stop at traffic signals, and wait in traffic. In the air, the vehicles could simply fly straight to their destinations. Not only would this be faster, but it would also use less fuel. While the first flying cars were designed to use fuel, most modern designs use electric power and batteries. Most automobiles burn fossil fuels to run, so using fewer of them would lead to less air pollution.

Flying cars as they are currently designed would either be self-driving or require a trained pilot. Either way, a small additional benefit is that passengers would not have to carry the stress and responsibility of driving. They could simply relax until they arrive at their destination.

Counting the Costs

Although flying cars could offer many potential benefits, there are downsides to the concept as well. It is true that many current designs are electric and that they are vertical takeoff and landing vehicles (VTOLs). This means that the vehicles can take off from the top of a building or any other flat surface, saving space. Most have a design that is a bit like a helicopter, with several small spinning rotors that move the vehicle up and through the air.

Unfortunately, taking off and landing VTOLs uses a lot of energy. Experts estimate that in order to be more efficient than ground vehicles, VTOLs would have to fly long distances. According to researchers, if a VTOL carrying four people flew 62 miles, it would create 52% less pollution than a ground vehicle. However, many people would likely fly short distances to places like work or school. This means these vehicles might not end up being very efficient. In addition, flying cars cannot carry much weight. They can only carry a few people, and one of those people may have to be the pilot. Meanwhile, ground vehicles like buses and vans can carry large groups of people.

Another problematic element of flying vehicles is that even if they are electric, they must use fuel to charge. Their used batteries would also be difficult to dispose of because used batteries contain toxic heavy metals. Improved technology would have to be developed to try to solve this problem.

A final issue flying vehicles present is noise. A helicopter makes a noise as loud as 100 decibels. This is as loud as motorcycles, loud music concerts, or nearby car horns. This level can be damaging to human hearing. Now imagine many vehicles in the air above your head making this kind of noise and the large shadows caused by several vehicles flying across the sky. The use of flying cars could be disturbing over homes and neighborhoods at all hours of the day and night.

With all this in mind, are flying cars the best idea? Some technology experts suggest that other methods of transportation, such as underground tunnels and more mass transit, may be a better way to solve problems of traffic and pollution. But perhaps if the problems associated with flying cars can be solved over time, we could all one day zoom through the air to our next destination.