A Chinese company has purchased BMW-powered flying car technology that has successfully undergone test flights in Europe.
The flying car, known as AirCar, is a Slovak-designed, four-wheel, two-seater vehicle that transforms into a road-legal vehicle in just three minutes on the ground.
The AirCar comes with a pusher propeller, switchblade-style retractable wings, and a telescoping tail. It can fly approximately 600 miles at an altitude of 8,200 feet and was developed by Professor Stefan Klein and his co-founder Anton Zajac of Klein Vision.
Klein Vision announced that the technology behind its flying cars has been acquired by Cangzhou-based Hebei Jianxin Flying Car Technology Company.
The company has purchased exclusive rights to manufacture and use AirCar aircraft within an undisclosed area. The company built its own airport and flight school after previously acquiring it from another Slovak aircraft manufacturer.
It is reported that the prototype cost $2.3 million to develop, but it is unclear how much Hebei Kenshin paid for the technology.
“This agreement, finalized for an undisclosed sum, represents a strategic move in the advancement of innovative mobility solutions,” Klein Vision said in a statement.
“This license agreement grants the Chinese company the exclusive right to manufacture and sell certified flying cars using KleinVision’s cutting-edge technology within a specified geographic region. We are ready to leverage innovative technology to redefine transportation standards in China.”
The car has a BMW engine and can run on gas pump fuel, but it needs more than that to take to the skies.
When on the ground, the vehicle looks like a modern sports car, with its wings folded smoothly to the sides. According to Reuters, it takes 2 minutes and 15 seconds to transform from sports car mode to aircraft.
The AirCar has a fixed propeller at the rear and a ballistic parachute in case of an emergency.
Unlike drone taxis, AirCars cannot take off and land vertically and, like airplanes, require a runway. The AirCar can only carry two people and has a total weight of 31 stone, or about 430 pounds.
China is embracing flying car technology. Last year, a flying car made by China’s Xpeng Aeroht made its first public flight in Dubai.
Meanwhile, a California company developing a flying electric car started accepting pre-orders last year.
Aleph Aeronautics’ flying car has received a special airworthiness certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which means the company will be allowed to test the vehicle on the road and in the air, the company said in a news release. mentioned in.
FOX News’ Gary Gastel and Reuters contributed to this report.
