Chinese carmaker gives glimpse at flying pod that transforms to flying machine
Mankind's ultimate dream of having flying cars is fast becoming a reality with a number of players testing their respective models for operation on both land and in the air. Not wanting to be left in the lurch, Chinese automaker Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC) recently revealed its own take on personal flying options with a pod-like structure that gets a wheeled chassis for land operation.
The GAC Gove - short for on-the-go vertical-flight electric vehicle, is essentially a small pod with space that is just enough for one person. Powered by six rotors, the pod gets the company's ADiGO-Pilot autonomous flying technology.
Now the GAC Gove is just a vision but even then, it is one that is quite radical. What makes it unique is that it is connected to a wheeled chassis that can be operated remotely. This essentially means that the chassis can charge itself while the pod is in flight, and can be summoned beneath when ready for landing and on-land usage.
GAC projects that both the pod and the chassis won't be offered as a combined package but instead, the chassis could be shared by multiple pod owners in the future. And once on land, the combined unit can function as an electric car.
Even by its own admission, GAC says that production and sales will ‘probably take a long time.’ But reports suggest the carmaker is already tying up with companies like Ruqi Mobility and Robotaxi to help it get closer to its ambitions of offering a viable air mobility unit in the times to come.
