The conversation covers the proposed Highway in the Sky system, where GPS and supplemental navigation technologies would guide vehicles along virtual corridors, removing the pilot from the loop entirely. Dr. Moller notes that even a blind person could operate the Skycar under such automated control. He also reveals that unmanned versions have been delivered to the U.S. Air Force for airfield damage assessment.
Art and Dr. Moller discuss mass production economics, with an eventual target price of 50,000 to 60,000 dollars per unit. They examine why American automakers failed to embrace hybrid technology while exploring ethanol as the ideal Skycar fuel, producing emissions so low the engine actually cleans the air in major cities.
Key Moments
Eight engines and a fail-safe voting system: Moller explains the Skycar uses eight independent engines plus a four-way voting computer system (the same architecture used on the F-16 and space shuttle), letting it correct a failed engine within 25 milliseconds.
Skycar performance: 400 mph, 30,000 ft ceiling: Moller gives the projected flight envelope: ~400 mph top speed in wind tunnel data, recommended cruise of 300 mph at 25,000 feet or 200 mph at sea level, with a 30,000-foot ceiling.
Ethanol cleans the air it flies through: Moller reveals their engine running on ethanol now produces emissions so low it beats California's super-ultra-low standard, meaning in cities like Los Angeles or Sacramento the Skycar's engine actually cleans the ambient air.
Spring 2007 untethered flight demo planned: Moller commits to a public, untethered low-speed flight demonstration the following spring at a lake he's building at the Milk Farm in Northern California, with over 1,000 press already signed up.
Highway in the Sky as terrorism defense: Moller argues the GPS-controlled Highway in the Sky network is itself the answer to terrorism fears: every vehicle is identified, ground-controlled, and tracked long before it reaches controlled airspace.