PAL-V Liberty, the self-proclaimed world’s first flying car, has received approval for road usage and can now be legally used on European streets. The Liberty passed the stringent European road admission tests and now is allowed on the road with an official license plate. This marks the completion of a rigorous and extensive drive test program carried out on test tracks since February 2020.
After drives on high-speed ovals, brake
and emission tests, as well as noise pollution testing, the PAL-V Liberty is
now ready to be driven on public roads. This breakthrough means the flying car
is another step closer to achieve certification for flying. Since 2015, the
PAL-V Liberty’s design has been going through aviation certification with the
European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), with finalization expected in 2022. The
Liberty benefits from the certification experience accumulated in the earlier
flight test program with the PAL-V One.
Before the final 150 hours of flight
testing can take place, over 1,200 test reports need to be completed. After
this, the company will be able to start deliveries to customers. For the coming
months, however, the Liberty will be undergoing endurance testing on public
roads across Europe.
Here’s how Hans Joore, the test driver of
the PAL-V Liberty, described the first outing on public roads: “Hearing the
vehicle come to life was just magnificent and driving it was great. It is very
smooth and responsive to the steering and with a weight of just 660 kg it
accelerates really well. The overall experience is like a sports car. It feels
sensational.”
PAL-V says reservations are growing
“beyond expectation”, despite a US$ 399,000 starting price for the base Liberty
Sport Edition. Around 80 per cent of reservation holders are new to aviation,
and that’s why some of them have already started training for a gyroplane
flying license at the PAL-V FlyDrive Academy.