Dutch flying car granted road legal status in Europe

Dutch firm Pal-V now has officially announced that its "Liberty" flying car has been approved for use on roads in the European Union. 

CEO and founder Robert Dingemanse says that after beginning flying and driving tests in 2012, it has been a long, difficult journey to adapt the folded aircraft to pass all road admission requirements.

Stating that the vehicle had to be built keeping both air and road regulations in mind, Dingemanse added that the it was a jigsaw puzzle when it came to fitting all the regulations and various other requirements in one vehicle.

The certification included brake and emission tests to noise pollution testing as well.

The PAL-V Liberty is a three-wheeled, two-seater car and gyroplane rolled into one. Pilots will need an license to fly one.

It claims to drive at up to 160 kilometres per-hour, fly up to 180 kilometres per-hour, and can fly about 500 kilometres (310 miles) on a single tank of fuel.

Switching from road to aircraft mode takes about ten minutes, including performing the necessary checks, the company says.

Dingemanse says the first 90 limited edition versions will be priced at around 500,000 euros when they begin shipping in 2022. After that, standard versions will start from about 400,000 euros.