Imagine having a car using electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) in the driveway of your home, waiting to take you wherever you want to go with the push of a button.
It may sound like science fiction, but air transport startup NeXt is making such a car.
On its website, the company published a statement, saying, "IFLY is an all-new, all-electric personal air vehicle for takeoff and landing, built for safe, comfortable and planet-friendly transportation."
"If I asked anyone what they most wished for, it would be the ability to fly, which is one of humankind's oldest and most enduring aspirations. That's why iFly takes flying to new heights, being simple and safe for everyone."
iFly operates using an easy-to-use mobile companion app where you can simply tap on a map to locate your intended landing site, using the touch screen on a mobile device running iOS or Android.
iFly doesn't need a pilot, it simply takes you to your destination on its own.
So NEXT is currently exploring the possibility of qualifying the iFly as a light-powered vehicle, with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), to be able to drive the vehicle without a pilot's license.
The iFly uses 8 fans and 8 battery-powered electric motors, and is also equipped with a comfortable passenger cabin.
The company has developed its own E-Vetol engines to be extremely safe.
The vehicle calculates the safe distances it can travel and determines the landing place before arrival, and chooses a safe destination if its battery capacity is insufficient.
NeXT recently obtained a patent for iFly and is now looking for investors.