Futuristic movies and cartoons often depict flying vehicles, like the flying family car from the popular cartoon series, “The Jetsons.” Unfortunately, current passenger vehicles are still very much on the ground. But a company called Jetson has unveiled a new flying car, dubbed the Jetson One. Technically an electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing Vehicle, or eVTOL, it’s a one-person flying vehicle that resembles an upscaled drone.
With an aluminum and carbon fiber frame, the Jetson One is powered by eight electric motors which spin eight propellers to keep it in the air. A built-in flight computer is said to make flying “extremely easy”, with controls for altitude and direction integrated within the flight stick. It weighs 235 pounds, including batteries, and can accommodate a pilot weighing up to 210 pounds. Top speed is 63 miles per hour and the Jetson One features a maximum ceiling of 1,500 feet, meaning that’s the highest it can safely go. Surprisingly, you don’t need a pilot’s license to operate it.
In footage of the Jetson One in action, a fleet of four vehicles zoom through the air showing off its unique speedster inspirations — Jetson describes it as a Formula One racer for the sky. Average flight time is about 20 minutes, so you probably won’t be using it for long commutes anytime soon. The current price is $128,000 and the first shipments are planned for in 2028. For comparison, Jetoptera’s VTOL flying car is designed to reach Mach 1 using a fluidic propulsion system, but it is not currently for sale.
Has anyone bought the Jetson One?
According to Jetson, over 500 orders have already been placed for its new eVTOL and one customer has already taken delivery: Palmer Luckey. You might recognize him as the co-founder of Oculus. He’s also the first person to take ownership of a Jetson One, a “historic milestone,” according to the company. Jetson delivered it to a facility in California, where founder and CTO Tomasz Patan helped Luckey set it up along with CEO Stephan D’haene. Purportedly, it took Luckey just 50 minutes of ground training before taking the controls for his first flight.
“Launching our first Jetson ONE with Palmer Luckey, a visionary who has reshaped both consumer and defense technology, sets the tone for what Jetson represents: innovation, freedom, and the future of mobility,” per D’haene. It is promising for the future of mobility and it will be interesting to see where the technology goes from here. Though it is first to market, the Jetson One is not the only flying car making headlines. Alef showed off a crazy flying car that may enter production soon and don’t forget the minivan-style Luft Pinoy EV-meets-eVTOL system.
