Aston Martin, Rolls Royce Developing Their Own Flying Cars
Could this be James Bond's next super-vehicle? Both Aston Martin and Rolls-Royce unveiled their own flying car concepts at the Farnborough Airshow this week.
Aston Martin, the British carmaker known for its luxury vehicles, is developing Vertical Take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicles in partnership with Cranfield University and oddly enough, Rolls-Royce. These are just the latest companies to start their own ventures into the untamed space of personal aircraft — both Uber and Airbus are working on their own, "flying car" VTOL aircraft.
Named the Volante Vision Concept, Aston Martin's aircraft is designed to hold three people and is powered by a hybrid electric engine. It's designed to hit speeds of 200mph and will incorporate technology to allow it to operate autonomously
This won't be your commuter vehicle for the masses that other companies are pitching, but a "sports car for the skies" says Aston Martin's Director of Global Government James Stephens. It's not cheap either, with the company estimating the price to fall between £3-5 million ($3.9-6.5 million).
"Air travel will be a crucial part in the future of transportation [and] the Volante Vision Concept is the ultimate luxury mobility solution," Aston Martin President and CEO Andy Palmer said in a news release.
The team hopes to have the vehicle ready for Farnbourough 2020.
Rolls-Royce, the airline engine manufacturer, not to be confused with the car company owned by BMW, is developing its own concept vehicle. The aircraft includes enough space for five people and could cruise at a dashing 250mph for approximately 500 miles.
Like others, Rolls Royce will be an EVTOL vehicle that's "specially designed to have a low noise profile." The company says it will have a prototype in the next 18 months that could take to the skies by the early 2020s.
"Electrification is an exciting and inescapable trend across industrial technology markets and while the move to more electric propulsion will be gradual for us, it will ultimately be a revolution," Rob Watson, head of Rolls-Royce's Electrical team, said.
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Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month