Tech-Know: New Audi Hover Car Concept

We’re not doing bad in the tech stakes in 2015. We have 3D printing, paywave, Oculus Rift, smart watches…we've even nailed self-driving cars (a kind of scary prospect, as the TV show Silicon Valley hilariously pointed out). However, there's still a depressing lack of flying cars.

There is a fair few concepts and prototypes though: we’ve seen plans for Terrafugia’s electric hybrid TFX, Volkswagon’s HoverCar (which would rely on an electromagnetic track being embedded in the road), and Brent Saxsma’s real life DeLorean proposal; with Saxsma even applying for a patent for the duct fan system his car would achieve lift with (unfortunately his crowdfunding campaign didn't reach its target). The recent invention of the Lexus Hoverboard puts some promising weight behind these ideas; eventually we're sure to be able to adapt the tech used for smaller modes of transport to something larger.

Recently, another exciting concept car design emerged: Ohio-based industrial designer Kevin Clarridge has come up with a far-out design that uses the German-designed Audi as its basis. He recently shared his concepts on Instagram, that show how he's taken off the vehicle’s axles and wheels to create a maglev-powered hovering car – one that proposes low friction, zero emissions and high speeds. And is as slick-looking as you'd expect with Audi's impressive aesthetics.

Take a look at Clarridge’s mock-ups below, and get excited about future road-trips (on the magnetically charged roads of the future) in this guy:

Check out more images on the designer's Behance profile.

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