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Flying Car More Economical Than SUV

Posted by michael on from the runs-on-vapor dept.

fusion812 writes "The M400 needs 35 clear feet to take off but thanks to its 770 hp engine can whiz to 365 mph - cruise control kicks in at 326 mph - and climb at 6,400 feet per minute. You may hear it before you see it: it emits a rather noisy 65 dba at 500 feet. Interestingly, with a fuel consumption of 20 miles to the gallon on the road, it's rather more economical than a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) and looks positively eco-friendly compared to a Hummer."

5 of 412 comments (clear)

  1. MPG not important by jepaton · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Moller said that today's economics give each M400 a theoretical price tag of around half a million dollars, but in volume production it could drop to $300,000 and in really large volumes to below $50,000.

    If you can afford one of these the MPG isn't going to be an issue.

  2. So what? by divine_13 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Well i guess that the fact of a vehicle being a bit more "economical" that others does not make it better. There are alot of other features; support, part prices, driving abilities etc.

  3. Re:That may be so... by M1FCJ · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Airspace is quite controlled as well, at least in Europe. Where you can fly is pretty regulated. There are volumes of space left for small aircraft but still you are pretty limited (as the roads are).

    The nice thing is given a separation distance, air traffic can still hold enormous volumes.

    On the other hand while driving on the ground I only have to live two seconds worth of distance as a minimum between my car and the guy in front of me. On air, this distance is much much longer. The traffic might be still pretty bad.

  4. The point isn't the practicality of flying cars by Jonas+the+Bold · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The point is how much SUVs suck. There is no excuse for having worse fuel efficiancy than a fucking airplane.

    --
    Everything seemed to be going so nice
    'till the end of all beings punched right through the ice
  5. Re:That may be so... by buzzcutbuddha · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So you have to pay more to get the thing initially. Boo hoo. You can fly at 326mph to your destination and get better gas mileage. So you have save time and cash on your commute, or going wherever. Is it really that hard to see the long-term economic benefits?

    At 326mph I could get to work in 9 minutes. That alone is worth the price of admission.

    And, btw, intelligence is absolutely no indicator of someone's ability to pilot or steer or drive a machine. I've seen plenty of supposedly smart people (think of some professors you've had) that can't drive a car to save their life. And I don't think any of us are going to nominate Dale Earnhardt Jr for a Nobel Prize, but I don't question his driving skills.

    Stop being so damn elitist.