What Fuel Will Power Flying Cars?

Most near-term “flying cars” will run on electricity from batteries, while some roadable aircraft will use gasoline or aviation fuels; hybrid-electric designs burning Jet A or sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) will cover longer ranges, and hydrogen fuel cells may arrive later if infrastructure and certification mature. That mix reflects different vehicle types—urban air taxis, regional air shuttles, and roadable airplanes—each with distinct energy needs, regulations, and infrastructure.

What “Flying Car” Means Today

Although the phrase captures the imagination, today’s “flying cars” span two main categories. The first is electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxis built for short urban hops; these look more like quiet helicopters with multiple electric rotors than like road vehicles. The second is roadable aircraft—cars that can drive to an airfield, unfold wings, and fly; they typically rely on conventional piston engines. The fuel or energy source depends on which of these you mean and on the mission distance.

The Energy Options Competing for the Skies

Battery-Electric eVTOLs

Battery-electric power is the front-runner for urban air mobility because it eliminates tailpipe emissions, cuts noise, and simplifies maintenance. High-power lithium-ion packs drive multiple electric motors for vertical lift and cruise. Range is limited by battery energy density, so early services focus on 15–40 km city routes with fast charging, battery swapping, or staggered operations. Certification and early deployments are being led by firms targeting commercial service in the mid-2020s, subject to regulators.

Several developers exemplify the battery-electric approach and indicate where the early market is headed.

• Joby Aviation: A piloted, battery-electric eVTOL targeting urban and regional taxi service.
• Archer Aviation: The Midnight eVTOL, optimized for short urban hops and high sortie rates.
• Lilium: A ducted-fan, battery-electric jet concept focused on regional air mobility.
• Volocopter: Multirotor eVTOLs (e.g., VoloCity) aimed at dense, short-range urban routes.
• Wisk Aero: A Boeing-backed autonomous, battery-electric eVTOL under development.
• Vertical Aerospace: The VX4 battery-electric eVTOL geared toward urban operations.

Together, these programs underscore that electricity is the dominant choice for early air-taxi networks, especially where vertiport charging can be controlled and standardized.

Hydrogen Fuel Cells

Hydrogen fuel cells convert hydrogen into electricity onboard, emitting only water. They promise higher energy per unit mass than today’s batteries, potentially extending range and payload while retaining electric propulsion’s low-noise benefits. Challenges include storing hydrogen (compressed or cryogenic) safely and densely, building supply infrastructure at vertiports, and navigating certification pathways that are less mature than for batteries.

Early initiatives show the direction of hydrogen research, even if most activity today is in fixed-wing or prototype VTOL platforms.

• Alaka’i Technologies Skai: A hydrogen fuel-cell multicopter concept targeting longer endurance.
• ZeroAvia: Hydrogen fuel-cell powertrains for fixed-wing regional aircraft, informing VTOL research.
• Airbus hydrogen demonstrators: Large-aircraft R&D that advances fuel handling and certification frameworks relevant to future VTOL use.

Hydrogen could play a role in the 2030s if supply chains, storage, and standards mature, but it is unlikely to dominate first-wave urban operations.

Hybrid-Electric Turbines Using Jet A or SAF

Hybrid-electric designs pair a turbine generator (burning Jet A or SAF) with electric motors, extending range and improving mission flexibility versus pure batteries. They can refuel quickly at existing airports, and SAF can cut lifecycle CO₂ compared with fossil Jet A. Trade-offs include added mechanical complexity, some noise, and the continued presence of combustion emissions.

A number of programs are exploring hybrid systems for VTOL or near-VTOL missions and longer regional hops.

• XTI Aircraft TriFan 600: A proposed high-speed, long-range hybrid-electric VTOL business aircraft.
• Bell Nexus (early concepts): Initially explored hybrid-electric architectures before shifting emphasis.
• Jaunt Air Mobility: Designs incorporating slowed rotors and potential hybridization for efficiency.
• Electra.aero: Hybrid-electric short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft aimed at regional routes with potential SAF use.
• Rolls-Royce hybrid-electric demonstrators: Turbogenerator systems that could support future VTOL platforms.

Hybrids are well-suited to regional and corporate shuttle missions where quick turnaround, higher payloads, and longer legs matter more than zero local emissions.

Conventional Gasoline or Avgas for Roadable Aircraft

Roadable aircraft—vehicles designed to drive on roads and also fly from runways—generally use certified piston engines that run on automotive gasoline (mogas) or aviation gasoline (100LL avgas), leveraging existing fueling infrastructure. These are not urban air taxis; they are more akin to light sport aircraft that can fold into traffic.

Recent and emerging roadable models highlight the continued role for liquid fuels in this niche.

• PAL-V Liberty: Gyroplane-style roadable aircraft using automotive gasoline.
• KleinVision AirCar: A roadable airplane prototype powered by a gasoline engine.
• Terrafugia Transition: A roadable light aircraft using a Rotax engine compatible with mogas or avgas.
• Samson Switchblade: A kit-based roadable aircraft concept designed for premium unleaded gasoline.
• AeroMobil: A luxury roadable aircraft concept based on conventional piston propulsion.

For personal owners and point-to-point trips between airfields, conventional fuels remain practical and compliant with today’s certification bases.

Use Cases Drive Energy Choices

Different mission profiles favor different energy carriers. The following examples illustrate how operations map to fuels and powertrains.

• Urban air taxi (10–40 km): Battery-electric eVTOLs for quiet, low-emission city hops with vertiport charging.
• Suburban and regional shuttle (50–300 km): Hybrid-electric (Jet A/SAF) or higher-performance battery systems; future hydrogen possible.
• Cargo and logistics: Battery-electric for short-haul urban deliveries; hybrids or hydrogen for heavier, longer routes.
• Personal mobility via roadable aircraft: Gasoline or avgas today, with incremental moves toward hybridization over time.
• Emergency and medical services: Battery-electric for urban response; hybrid or SAF-fueled turbines for range and payload flexibility.

As networks expand beyond city centers, energy solutions will likely diversify to balance range, turnaround time, noise, and infrastructure availability.

Infrastructure and Operations Considerations

Electric operations hinge on reliable, high-power charging at vertiports, potential battery swapping, and grid upgrades to handle peak demand. Standardized charging interfaces and energy management will be crucial for fleet economics. Hydrogen requires new storage, compression or liquefaction, and safety systems, making it a longer-term play without coordinated investment. Combustion fuels benefit from existing airport infrastructure; SAF can drop into Jet A systems with varying blending limits, easing adoption while cutting lifecycle emissions relative to fossil fuel.

Environmental, Safety, and Cost Factors

Battery-electric craft eliminate local emissions and reduce noise and maintenance, but their climate benefit depends on grid mix and battery production and recycling practices. SAF can materially lower lifecycle CO₂ compared with fossil Jet A, especially when produced from waste or renewable feedstocks, though availability and cost vary by region. Hydrogen’s climate profile depends on how it’s produced (green vs. gray/blue) and how efficiently it’s delivered and stored. Across all modes, certification standards, thermal management, crash safety, and energy containment are central to public acceptance and insurer confidence.

Outlook for 2025–2035

From the mid-2020s, expect most commercial “flying car” services in cities to be battery-electric, limited to short hops while charging and fleet scheduling mature. Hybrids using Jet A/SAF are likely to fill longer regional missions where batteries alone are range-limited. Roadable aircraft will continue relying on gasoline or avgas in the near term. Hydrogen could enter selected pilots and niche routes later in the decade or into the 2030s, contingent on infrastructure, economic viability, and certification progress.

Summary

There is no single fuel for all “flying cars.” Battery-electric power will dominate urban air taxis first, gasoline and avgas will persist for roadable aircraft, hybrid-electric turbines burning Jet A or SAF will cover longer legs, and hydrogen fuel cells may emerge as technology and infrastructure mature. The specific energy choice will track mission profile, regulation, and local infrastructure far more than marketing labels.

What type of fuel is used in flying cars?

Avgas. Avgas (aviation gasoline), or aviation spirit, is used by small aircraft, light helicopters and vintage piston-engined aircraft. Its formulation is distinct from the conventional gasoline (UK: petrol) used in motor vehicles, which is commonly called mogas or autogas in aviation context.

What do flying cars run on?

rechargeable lithium-ion batteries
Current rechargeable lithium-ion batteries would power a flying-car ride for only 20 to 30 minutes, Du says. And while a car that runs out of charge can simply pull over, a flying car would fall out of the sky. So Du and many other researchers are trying to improve battery efficiency before flying taxis take off.

What fuel do jet cars use?

JetCat Engines are approved for the premium diesel fuels Aral Ultimate and Shell V-Power.

How much fuel does a 10 hour flight use?

A plane like a Boeing 747 uses approximately 1 gallon (about 4 liters) of fuel every second. Over the course of a 10-hour flight, it might burn 36,000 gallons (150,000 liters). The 747 burns approximately 5 gallons of fuel per mile (12 liters of fuel per kilometer).