Early flight pioneersThe Jet EngineFuture aviation Cars - a failure?Automobiles - The future? AUTOMOBILES The future? In the 1970s the smog in Los Angeles, caused almost entirely, by car emissions, was as notorious as the pea souper fogs of 1950s London. Strict controls, the introduction of catalytic converters, lead-free petrol and city buses running on natural gas have made the air breathable again. The problem has been transferred to the megacities of the Third World. Mexico City, Bombay and Cairo are choking on their own emissions. John Prescott at the wheel of a Solar car Jeremiahs have been prophesying that the planet will run out of fossil fuels some time in the 21st century. Exactly when varies from scare to scare. But as the demand for oil and gasoline continues to rise, car manufacturers are making efforts to create more environmentally friendly vehicles and experimenting with alternative fuel sources. Chrysler had introduced the CCV (Composite Compact Vehicle) that is made of the same plastic as fizzy drink bottles. At the end of its useful life the injection moulded plastic can be melted down and recycled - presumably back into fizzy drink bottles. California has passed laws mandating that 10% of cars sold by 2003 must be ‘zero emission’, which has focused the minds of major car manufacturers. Battery electric cars are still too inefficient to attract many buyers. The range is too small, the recharging takes too long and they don’t go fast enough to be a viable alternative. Experiments with solar powered cars are still just that. Honda’s Dream Solar can manage 56 miles on pure solar power and further 62 miles on energy collected from the cells into a battery. But only if you live in Australia. Toyota have developed a hybrid-powertrain car, the Prius, which has both a 1.5 litre petrol engine and a generator which halves emissions, cuts smog chemicals by 90% and goes twice as far on a litre of fuel. Honda have the Civic GX which is powered by natural gas. Both the Civic and Prius are still only available in Japan, though there are plans to launch them in the rest of the world very soon. The increasing use of computers in vehicles can help increase efficiency and give the best fuel consumption, but that is only a plaster masking the damage. The near future will see more of the same, as the vested interests in the oil and car business do not wish to see the extinction of the internal combustion engine. In the long run it will have to be replaced before we choke on a billion exhaust pipes. Perhaps the Hypercar will be part of the answer. The Rocky Mountain Institute has been pioneering the concept for years and is working with corporations worldwide. The basic concept is a hybrid electric car powered by an electric motor with electricity generated from a small engine on board. The body will be made of ultra light advanced composite materials (like Kevlar) which are rust free, scratch resistant and ten times cleaner than a conventional car. The fuel consumption should be 2.6 litres per 100km to begin with, quickly falling to 1.2 L. Honda , Solectria and General Motors are all working on various elements of hypercar design. In the meantime as roads get clogged up we might take to the air. Henry Ford declared in 1940: 'Mark my word: a combination airplane and motorcar is coming. You may smile, but it will come.' In the Fifties future predictions always involved flying family cars and domestic robots. The aerocar - or volantor - is now close to commercial reality. Engineer Paul Moller of U.S. aviation firm Moller International has been trying to build a viable flying family car since 1963. Now there is a four-seat prototype of the M400 Skycar which could be available for sale within five years. The first Skycars will be hand-built, costing a mere $1 million (£625,000). However, mass production and the economies of scale could bring the cost of a four-seater down to as little as £37,000. The Skycar is approximately the size of a Transit Van but with the sleek lines of the Batmobile. Made of carbon fibre - tough but light - it will cruise at up to 30,000 feet at a speed of 390 mph - which will cut commuting time somewhat - covering 15 miles per gallon. The vehicle will basically navigate and fly itself using on-board computers. The car takes off and lands vertically, like a Harrier jump jet, using eight Wankel rotary engines, rather than the traditional piston engine, linked directly to turbo fans. A set of swivelling vanes allows the car to hover or soar. In case something goes wrong it comes equipped with giant parachutes and airbags inside and out to ensure a soft landing. The biggest danger for the flying car will be that congestion on the roads is transferred into the skies which could seriously interfere with commercial airliners. Otherwise it will cut that 100-mile commute to a very reasonable 16 minutes.