Neva Aerospace to unveil flying-car concept
Neva Aerospace, a UK-based consortium of five European companies interested in a range of electric aviation, is set to unveil plans for a small passenger-carrying aircraft at the Paris Airshow. Currently at the concept stage, the AirQuadOne's design includes four electric turbofans, much like a drone, and will weigh around 1,000 pounds, with the batteries amounting to 330 pounds of this. Neva aims to offer a flight time of 30 minutes at 50 mph, with a range of 25 miles. It will have vertical take off and landing, and incorporate a plug-in charging system similar to electric cars. 
The Paris Airshow kicks off Monday, offering the denizens of the aviation world their biennial chance to gather round. They'll ogle the latest aerospace innovations, close deals for defense drones, and check out private jets. Airbus and Boeing will go head-to-head over over sales numbers as aircraft new and old—including the F35A fighter jet, making its public debut—roar overhead, flaunting their flying skills.

Oh, and because at some point in the past few months everyone decided personal aircraft are a real thing, Paris will feature flying cars.

One early reveal comes from Neva Aerospace, a UK-based consortium made up of five European companies that focus on all sorts of electric aviation, from drones to aerial robotic platforms.

Now these folks want to build a passenger-carrying vehicle. The AirQuadOne is just a concept at this stage, but you can tell it’s the future because it’s made of shiny white plastic, and the rider is in a spandex suit.

Neva Aerospace

Yet the specs are refreshingly realistic. The aircraft uses four electric turbofans, which the consortium members have already proven in other vehicles like drones. The whole thing will weigh in at a little over 1,000 pounds, including 330 pounds for the batteries and 220 for the pilot and his funky purple suit.

That setup should yield a flight time of 30 minutes at 50 mph, Neva promises. Its 25-mile range is plenty to get from one side of a congested city to the other, it will take off and land vertically, and you'll charge it the way you power up an electric car—just plug it in. Longer term, Neva might add a small engine to run a generator and extend the range, but that plus the fuel it would burn comes with a big weight penalty, and weight is the enemy when it comes to electric powered flight.

The AirQuadOne is just the latest in a long string of "flying car" concepts that, rather suddenly, are being taken seriously by big name, global firms. Airbus is involved with Vahana, and the modular Pop.Up. Google cofounder Larry Page's Kitty Hawk is working on the Flyer, a concept apparently ripped from a Hammacher Schlemmer catalog. Uber wants to launch flying cars in Dubai (where else?) in just three years.