Jeepney maker partners with US company to make flying vans

This item literally and figuratively ‘flew’ by us.

LuftCar, a mobility company in Florida, USA, has partnered with top Philippine jeepney maker eFrancisco Motor Corporation (eFMC) to give the ‘King of the Road’ the power to fly.

Yes, I know you have had it with stories about automakers bragging about plans to make flying cars but hear this one out. The memorandum of agreement between these two companies involves investment, development, integration, deployment, branding, and marketing of LuftCar-branded air vehicles that use hydrogen propulsion and an eFMC road vehicle platform.

“The Philippines and Southeast Asia have been of great strategic importance for LuftCar. Our flying and road vehicle concept is tailor-made for connecting the archipelagos and serving cargo, air ambulance, tourism, and regional transportation verticals. Our hydrogen propulsion will serve long-distance and heavy payload-carrying needs in the region, LuftCars have a big role to play in defense in the region enabling ship-to-base and base-to-outpost missions. We are excited about partnering with eFMC, whose leadership has a clear vision for clean energy transportation for the Philippines. eFMC has the resources to support LuftCar in bringing meaningful air transport to the people in the region,” said Santh Sathya, CEO of LuftCar.

The ambitious project of the two companies will be called the Luft-Pinoy eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing). Luftcar will provide the flight expertise, while the chassis will come from eFMC. The vehicle will be a hydrogen-powered vehicle that can travel on typical Philippine roads. Based on photos from LuftCar, its exterior will be more van-like. So how will it fly? Stashed away (perhaps at a terminal) is an airframe with six tilting propellers that connect to the rear of the Luft-Pinoy eVTOL via a five-point docking station. It can make a 483-kilometer flight at up to 354 km/h. Upon landing, passengers can disembark from the flip-down front fascia of the vehicle.

"As a physicist, my mind has been trained to believe that if you are the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room. I enjoin great minds to join us and come together to bring our world’s technological advances to a whole new level,” said Elmer Fancisco, CEO of eFrancisco.

Where will it be made? At eFMC's 200-hectare Special Economic Zone in Camarines Norte. Once the Luft-Pinoy eVTOL hits the production line, it will be used in various sectors, including defense, regional transport, recreation, healthcare, and other applicable industries.