FollowHave you ever fantasized about driving a car that quickly transforms into a aircraft while on the move? If you have, then you will be glad to know that in very near future your dream can turn into a reality. Well Burt Rutan, an aviation genius and founder and ex-CEO of Scaled Composites, unveiled this fantasy vehicle recently.
- Model 367 BiPod
Aviation pioneer Burt Rutan’s last creation was unveiled Sunday: a hybrid-electric roadable aircraft dubbed the Model 367 BiPod.
The car, named Model 367 BiPod, has a seating capacity of two passengers. The car can be steered from the left hand side of the cockpit and can be flown from the right hand side of the cockpit. Running on a hybrid electric engine, this vehicle project was very dear to Burt and his team, and the team worked day in and day out only to create it within a span of four months. So far, the car has been successful in hopping several times at the runway at Mojave Desert, California. A full-fledged flight will soon be possible once the team at Scaled Composites meets the challenge of installing a propeller in the nose cones and stabilizers at the rear end, which will enable the car to propel at higher altitudes.
To begin with, the BiPod will operate with four 15KW motor-driven propellers. Burt Rutan has used lithium batteries in the car nose strategically, which will also help the car in giving extra energy while taking off. The BiPod’s wings span about 31 feet, which can be folded and stored in its fuselage within 10 minutes turning the aircraft into a car.
Powered by twin 450cc engines, one placed in each pod, and 15KW electric motors, the BiPod can cruise at 200mph for 530 miles. On low power mode, the vehicle has a top speed of 100mph with range increasing to about 760 miles. On the road the vehicle has a range of 820 miles on a tank of fuel with 35 miles in fully electric mode. Hopefully, the car will cross other challenges soon and will be a full-fledged running car in the near future.
Source: ecofriend
