The YEE Flying Car Concept: New Paradigm for Future Transportation

Flying cars might still be a long way from becoming a commercial reality, but that doesn’t stop designers letting their imaginations run wild when it comes to envisioning the airborne automobiles of the future… and they sure make for some gorgeous conceptual art.

I know this looks straight out of a science fiction movie but this car called “Yee” (designed by Zhu Wenxi) not only could run on the ground, but also can fly in the air! In order to maximize the use of space and provide motive power for your flight, its propellers are installed on the back wheels, when on land, they serve as wheels; when you are flying away, its front wheels will open toward both sides while back wheels will bend back, so in no time, it turns into a flying machine. Thus the special amphibious feature of the YEE Flying car allows the car to easily transform into a flying car just by changing its operating system.

YEE is designed by South China University of Technology (SCUT) industrial design students Pan Jiazhi, Zhu Wenxi and Lai Zexin. The concept of the YEE Flying car is based on the fact that in the future, the mode of transport will be switched from land to air due to congested traffic in major cities. Last month, their creation won the Gold Award for Best Creative Future at the First International Concept Car Design Contest in Beijing. Take a look at it, and it’s easy to see why.

This concept car could be turned into a plane once the operation is switched to the flying mode through transformation. This is made possible by upturning two front wheels sideways and two back wheels outside allowing people to fly over the overcrowded roads to reach their destination on time. Also, the integration of the propeller into the back wheels endues the vehicle with two distinct mobile modes. YEE’s two different mobile modes are courtesy of the propeller fixed into the back wheels. On the road, the YEE is one amazing racing car and when in the flying mode, it’s a real treat for those who want to soar high in the sky.

So basically, when it went into flight mode, the YEE’s two back wheels would swing forward and their rather styling spokes would reveal themselves to be the propeller blades that they actually were. Pretty clever. But this question comes to mind, though — when the car was taking off and its outriggers folded upwards to become wings, wouldn’t it just fall down on the road? And likewise, how would it maintain take-off speed or hold its back end up when its wheels folded forward? Just asking…

source :http://techchunks.com