Terrafugia created quite a stir on Thursday when it unveiled the new look for what could possibly be the world's first ever flying car, the TF-X. While the car itself is still under development, the Massachusetts-based car company has introduced the updated designs of the external body of the flying vehicle in an effort to drum up interest.
"These new developments represent exciting, significant progress on the path towards the realization of Terrafugia's revolutionary vision for the future of personal transportation," the company said in a press release.
TF-X is touted as a "plug-in hybrid car," an entirely new classification in human transportation once produced, if only for the fact that it could claim two transport categories. It can be used to cruise the streets, as well as take off and land vertically should the driver or the pilot desire to take it to the skies, Slash Gear reported. The vehicle uses a plug-in technology with an engine fired up with gasoline and electric motors to drive the car's propulsion. When the motors are linked to the propellers, they generate enough power that enables the vehicle to take off vertically, not unlike a helicopter. The 300-horsepower gasoline engine is turned on once the TF-X is airborne.
Some enthusiasts are still unimpressed, as Terrafugia has gone through a "arduous" process to bring the hybrid flying car to the streets, CNET noted. Indeed, the new design unveiled on Thursday, which came with a video showing the flying TF-X, is a mere computer rendering and still not the real thing. Terrafugia also claims that what they currently have is a one-tenth scale test model and not a life-size prototype. This model will be tested in a wind tunnel for drag, among other air travel dynamics.
Still, the company was able to demonstrate an actual flying vehicle two years ago with an earlier version, which the TF-X is based on. The video below shows the actual flight of the old prototype.
Terrafugia projected in 2013 that the flying car will finally hit the market after eight years, according to Digital Trends. If this happens, buyers can expect to pay as much as the price for a high-end luxury car.
