BMW, Toyota and Boeing among eight companies racing to put first flying car on the market

The future is now.Popular automakers — including Honda, Hyundai, and BMW — are racing to get their new flying car models on the market with a new age of travel on the precipice of taking off.The new category of aircraft has been termed eVTOL — which is an acronym for “electric vertical take-off and landing,” in reference to the way the vehicles are able to fly.eVTOLs take off and land vertically and have the ability to hover — making them more akin to helicopters than cars or planes.There is a wide range of concepts presented by the different companies with each modeling their own version of the future of air travel.BMW’s Designworks has developed a four-seated, Hydrogen-powered, electric vehicle designed as an “urban air mobility system.”The “Skai” has six electric motors and will reportedly reach speeds of 118 miles per hour.As for safety features, the craft is able to stay airborne on four of its motors should two malfunction — and in the case of total engine failure, the Skai is outfitted with a parachute.A website for the BMW product calls it, “one of the most exciting things to happen to the mobility industry since the invention of the automobile.”Toyota purchased Joby Aviation’s eVTOL for $398 million back in 2020 — and the investment is close to paying off.The vehicle has completed three of the five stages needed for certification, according to Top Gear.Joby’s eVTOL will be able to fly at speeds up to 200 miles per hour, according to the manufacturer.The flying vehicle features a V-shaped tail, six propellers, and two seats.Last November, the car manufacturer announced it would be accelerating efforts to bring its unique product to market.“Since its founding, Toyota has been working to realize a society in which everyone can move freely,” the company wrote in a statement at the time.Car and plane maker Honda has also announced the development of its own — still unnamed — hybrid eVTOL.Honda said it’s seeking to est...