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Terrafugia Inc., the Woburn maker of the Transition Roadable Aircraft, has won special construction exemptions from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for its flying car.
Such exemptions include use of a polycarbonate material – for its light weight and shatter resistance – instead of standard laminated safety glass used in cars. The NHTSA also granted the Transition’s use of tires consistent with its vehicle weight and highway speed driving requirements, but that do not typically align with tire requirements for multi-purpose vehicles.
The company said the exemptions represent the first time the NHTSA has made such dispensations for a flying-driving vehicle.
Terrafugia is following all standard crash safety requirements, the company noted, and it is finishing its certification testing program before it begins filling orders for the flying car.
Last September, Terrafugia said it was moving the Transition into low-volume production at a 19,000 square-foot facility in Woburn.
The company, whose name translates from Latin to “escape from land”, signed on last December as the largest subcontractor on a $65-million Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) project to build a four-person flyable and road vehicle.
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