I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, “Where are my flying cars?!” It’s the year 2024 – we’re already 4 years into the 21st century, and Y2K is a lot further than that. Still – no personal flying aircraft. There are a lot of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft concepts popping up, but nothing the normal civilian will be able to pilot any time soon. Well, the Dubai Air Show last year flew under the radar with this one because Bellwether Industries debuted a design that could change the way we look at personal aircrafts.

It doesn’t seem to have a definitive name quite yet, but the eVTOL from Bellwether looks a lot like a sci-fi spacecraft. In terms of size, this is no Millennium Falcon, able to complete the Kessel Run in just under 12 parsecs, but it’s a start. For one thing, this Bellwether design looks nothing like the eVTOL concepts most automakers are coming out with. They’re big, they’re bulky, and the size of those propellers could do some serious damage if someone were to slip and fall getting in or out of the aircraft. Bellwether tackled all of those problems and more.

Instead of designing an evTOL with a bunch of propellers that are dangerous and take up space, this design comes with a hidden propulsion system housed inside the body to make it quiet, safer, and smaller. Most eVTOL concepts seem like they would need a helipad to land and take off, so they don’t seem very practical for personal use or in a commercial sense. Bellwether designed a eVTOL that can not only make use of current infrastructure with a city mindset already involved in the design process to make it more practical, but parking also won’t take up too much space. Most eVTOL aircraft concepts would need enough space between two aircraft that equals at least 50 percent of the entire body, whereas Bellwether eVTOL needs only 15 percent of that space between aircraft.

Now, when will we get these on the market? Well, for one thing, consumers won’t need a pilot license to get behind the wheel. In fact, there probably won’t be a wheel. Bellwether wants to make these autonomous. That’s another hurdle to get over next to making an eVTOL available to the public, but on a commercial scale, it might be a little easier. Regardless, the current concept is designed with civilian transportation in mind, able to seat up to five passengers, isn’t very large – 20 by 11 feet – and can cover 50-60 miles. It sounds like nothing for ground transportation, but in the air, it’s a lot.

The best part about this concept that literally flew under the radar is their capabilities will be advertised via professional racing. That’s right. It’s time for a little live action pod racing. Now, moving on from that tragedy of a film, how could it be for the next motorsport to be a race between flying cars? It will be the most watched sport in history, that’s for sure. Of course, the goal is to get this in the market for retail one day, but testing them in open roads before complex cities is a smart move. Even so, the Bellwether concept is quiet, able to make use of active noise canceling and sound dampening to keep the propulsion system quiet versus slowing the rotation of the propellers and risking a sudden descent. For lift off, the propulsion systems fire up at a higher speed and then decrease by 30 percent to move through the air.

As the popular internet meme goes, “SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!” That’s how this writer feels about the Bellwether eVTOL, at least. Want to stay up to date on cool car tech like flying cars? Follow along with us on NowCar social media.

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