Flying Car Passes Inspection for Road Travel

The flying car Pal-V Liberty has completed its first Periodic Technical Inspection (PTI), four years after it was certified for road travel. 

The PTI is a mandatory inspection for most road vehicles in the Netherlands and is approved by the Netherlands Vehicle Authority. The testing checks whether the vehicle is roadworthy, environmentally safe and registered correctly.

The Pal-V Liberty received European road certification in 2020, allowing the flying car to be driven on public roads. 

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The PTI approval in the Netherlands follows four years of driving on European roads.

“We are thrilled to announce the successful PTI of the Pal-V Liberty, which underscores our unique capability to design and produce safe, reliable and sustainable FlyDrive solutions for B2B, B2G and private customers,” said Robert Dingemanse, CEO of Pal-V. “Four years ago, we made history with our road certification, and today we continue to lead the fly-drive mobility solution market globally.

Credit: Pal-V

The Pal-V Liberty is a gyroplane, which has relatively small, fixed wings and a rear propeller that pushes it forward, causing a rotor atop the vehicle to spin. 

The vehicle, somewhat of a cross between a helicopter and a plane, requires an airfield to take off and land and is powered by a 200-horsepower engine.

Related:Flying Car Startup Expands, Teams With Airport Owner

The two-person vehicle has a land range of 800 miles with a maximum speed of 100 mph and a flight range of up to 300 miles at a maximum altitude of 11,000 feet. 

Transformation from road driving to flying takes five minutes, according to the company.

Pal-V and Forum Group, owner of Breda International Airport, recently agreed to establish an assembly and delivery center for the flying vehicles at the airport.

The airport in the south of the Netherlands would be the first European airport to host a dedicated Pal-V assembly and delivery center.

Forum Group had developed a strategy to convert the airfield into a mobility innovation hub.

The Pal-V (personal air and land vehicle) vehicle Liberty is certified to drive on public roads and expects its aviation certification this year.

The Pal-V Pioneer Edition is powered by e-fuels and hybrid fuel technologies.

The new airport facility would become the Pal-V home for final assembly, customer demonstrations, flight training and pre-delivery inspections.

Pal-V is in the process of completing a funding package with international and Dutch investors.

Customers have been training at Breda International Airport since 2019.

Related:Flying Car Startup Selling 100 Vehicles to Dubai Company

Most reservations have been made for professional use including first responders, policing and border control while the first customers are private individuals filling the first three years of planned production, according to the company.

Earlier this year, Pal-V received an order for 100 of its flying vehicles from Aviterra, a Dubai company that plans to bring the vehicles to the Middle East and Africa.

Customers would be able to drive the vehicles themselves or use Aviterra's services, according to the company.

The 10-year-old Netherlands startup had already opened a showroom dedicated to flying cars in Munich, Germany.

Loggia Investment, the investment arm of Aviterra, is also an investor in Pal-V. 

The flying vehicle differs from others coming to market around the world. Those are primarily VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) vehicles, which do not require a runway since they take off and land vertically, and most are electric.

Pal-V has different versions of its Liberty flying car, including a sport edition and pioneer edition, which is highly personalized.

Retail showrooms for aerial vehicles already are in the works in the U.S. with others on the way.

For example, Aeroauto Global in Royal Palm Beach, Florida, has two EAV showroom locations planned in Florida, one in Hollywood and another in Palm Beach Gardens. It is also planning a showroom in Texas at the Greenport International Airport and Technology Center in Emerald Island.

Related:Flying Car Showroom Opens in Germany

The Pal-V showroom serves as a platform for buyers or investors. The vehicle is expected to cost in the range of $500,000.