--- title: "Study: Flying Cars Could End Up Being Greener Than Electric Cars" description: "In a recent study, a group of researchers argue that flying cars could actually end up reducing emissions over electric cars back on the ground." date: "2019-04-30" modified: "2019-04-30" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/flying-cars-greener-electric-cars" categories: - "Advanced Transport" tags: - "electric cars" - "flying cars" - "vtol" --- # Study: Flying Cars Could End Up Being Greener Than Electric Cars ![In a recent study, a group of researchers argue that flying cars could actually end up reducing emissions over electric cars back on the ground.]() *\Image: Shutterstock\* ## Late to the Party In a [new study]() published in the journal *Nature*, a group of researchers from Ford Motors' Research and Innovation Center in Michigan argue that electric flying cars could actually end up reducing emissions over electric cars back on the ground — and free up congested roads in the process. But unfortunately, there's a pretty big catch. "However, gaps in necessary technology and practical uncertainties beyond the cars’ promising physics mean that they may not arrive in time to be a large-scale solution to the energy crisis and congestion — if at all," wrote Hugh Hunt, a researcher at the University of Cambridge who wasn't involved with the research, a [piece discussing the study]() for *The Conversation*. ## VTOL Future It seems counter-intuitive that flying cars could have a lower environmental than electric ones while dealing with with air resistance and drag. But the authors of the study found that in their base case of travelling 60 miles, flying a vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) vehicle such as a flying car could end up cutting emissions by 35 percent compared to a single occupant in a combustion engine car. And even with three passengers on board a flying car, emissions are still six percent lower compared to an electric vehicle with the U.S. ground-based travel average of [1.54 passengers]() on board. ## Assumptions But the new numbers also assume future technological innovations from optimum wing designs to low-power electric motors and high-efficiency batteries. The study also found those advantages to diminish with distances longer than 120 miles. "With technology and safety improvements, they could yet play a part in our fossil-fuel-free future, taking short-haul planes out of our skies and freeing up fume-filled roads," Hunt argues. **READ MORE:** [Flying cars could cut emissions, replace planes, and free up roads – but not soon enough]() \[*The Conversation*\] **More on flying cars:** *[Goodyear’s New Concept Tire Doubles as a Flying Car Propeller]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()