①That future is almost here. "I think it's going to happen. Definitely in ten years…and hopefully much, much faster," said Sebastian Thrun in 2021. At that time, his young company Kitty Hawk Corporation was working on developing a flying car known as eVTOL, or Electronic Vertical Take-Off and Landing vehicle(车辆).
②Flying to work or school sounds unbelievable. Not only is it fun to fly, but "there would never be traffic again, because the sky is very, very large," says Thrun. He also thinks eVTOLs could be greener than common cars. "We go much faster, we go in a straight line, we fly on less energy," he says.
③So far, though, flying cars haven't taken off as a product. Will their day come? There are still many problems to solve. Their high price means most people won't be able to afford one. So, some companies are developing them as air taxis that people could pay to ride. The main problem with flying cars is safety. Accidents in the air are dangerous to both the passengers and anyone on the ground beneath. To make eVTOLs safer, many developers are aiming to make them self-flying—no human pilot required.
④Another problem is space. Most aircraft need long runways to take off and land. Lifting straight up and down like a helicopter solves this problem. But eVTOLs still need special spaces, called vertiports, for take-off and landing. Finding places to put these could be tricky, especially in crowded cities. But maybe some could go on top of buildings.
⑤What do you think? Would you enjoy riding to school or to visit a friend in a self-flying taxi? Are flying cars a good idea or should we find other ways to get around in the near future?