Today’s Wonder of the Day was inspired by jasmine. jasmine Wonders, “Will there be flying cars in the future?” Thanks for WONDERing with us, jasmine!

Have you ever dreamed of being a pilot? You could fly off into the sunset in your own airplane. You could even fly a plane full of passengers to their dream location. Soon, more people could be flying than ever. However, they may not have to use airplanes. Instead, they could travel in flying cars!

People have long imagined a future with flying cars. This dream has come to life in movies and TV shows like “The Jetsons.” With advancements in transportation like self-driving cars, hoverboards, and hovercrafts, many are WONDERing—will we ever have flying cars?

The answer is… maybe! Some companies are already working to make this dream come true. In January 2019, Boeing tested a flying taxi. That’s right! The same company that makes airplanes could make the next line of cabs. But they’re not alone. Airbus SE has also tested an air taxi, as has Alphabet Inc.

How do these flying cars work? They move a bit like helicopters. They take off by rising vertically from a parking lot or driveway. Then, they fly through the air to their destination before dropping vertically back to the ground.

Would you like to drive a flying car? Just imagine! People could speed along above roads, avoiding bumps and potholes. Flying cars will likely move faster than traditional automobiles. Goodbye, traffic jams! You’ll get to school in record time.

What about the environment? We all know that cars and trucks add carbon dioxide to the air. They do this by burning gas. However, flying cars will run on electricity instead of gas. For this reason, they’ll be much better for the environment than traditional automobiles. In 2016, a study from the University of Michigan and Ford Motor Company found that flying cars would cut carbon dioxide emissions by 35-52 percent. This could help to slow climate change.

So, when will we have flying cars? The jury’s still out. Some say it could be as soon as 2023. Others claim it’ll never happen.

Never? That’s right. Some people believe too many problems stand in the way of making flying cars a reality. And it’s true—there are many questions left to answer. Who will make sure flying cars don’t run into each other? Are batteries powerful enough to keep them in the air? Will flying cars cost more to repair? Even transportation superstar Elon Musk is uncertain about flying cars. He claims they’re too inconvenient to catch on.

But don’t worry! You don‘t have to give up on the dream of flying cars just yet. Technology improves every day. The next breakthrough could be right around the corner. Then, flying cars could become a reality. It might be just a matter of time!

Standards: NGSS.ETS1.A, CCRA.L.3, CCRA.L.6, CCRA.R.1, CCRA.R.2, CCRA.W.2, CCRA.W.9, CCRA.L.1, CCRA.L.2, CCRA.R.4, CCRA.R.10, CCRA.W.3, CCRA.SL.1, CCRA.SL.2

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