M400 Skycar: Fly me to the moon… or to work will do just fine.

We've mentioned the concept of a flying car before on Gaj-it with the Pal-V Flying Car. Well this concept is obviously the way of the future as the guys over at Moller have designed their own four-seat flying car which is aimed to take to the skies within three years.

If the Pal-V looked like more a motorbike than a car, the Moller M400 Skycar looks like something the bad guy in a sci-fi movie would zip around in, in his quest for world domination; it looks that good! The unique feature of the M400 Skycar is that (according to the website) it's the first feasible, personally affordable personal vertical take off and landing vehicle. Forget cursing the next traffic light that turns red just to annoy you (because there is NOBODY coming from the other direction"¦) now you can just zoom upwards and take to the skies for the most direct route possible to work.

The engine of the M400 Skycar is clever and versatile enough to burn a wide range of fuels from diesel to natural gas, so no matter where you are in the world, refueling can accommodate for what ever is available. On normal petrol, the car can reach over 20 mpg, enough to park your car and drive it to and from your launch area. In the air, the M400 Skycar is reputed to be able to speed up to three times faster than any light helicopter.

They have even thought of a space for your grocery shopping with storage inside the cabin and in a forward storage hatch. Apart from that though, you won't get away with tying a mattress to the rooftop as you would in a normal car. Thanks to the overall compact size of the M400 Skycar, you can park it in a standard single car garage, so what better excuse to get rid of that old Hyundai?

I'm sure some of you who live or have ever lived in a flight path are a bit concerned as to being able to make a quiet entrance after being out until 2am. Moller have thought of that as well as they constructed a multiple ducted fan arrangement which uses modest thrust and tip speeds to reduce noise pollution. Furthermore the absence of unprotected rotors or propellers mean that you can park it without fear of small children or poodles getting too close for their own safety.

So how much will you have to save to get your hands on one? Well, at first release there is an expected price of £250,000 but if the idea takes-off (sorry) mass production is expected to lower the price to around £30,000- £40,000, meaning that it is actually feasible to have one for you and one for the spouse!

For more information, visit the Moller website.