eVTOL? More like eFlopTOL, if you ask me

I have to hand it to those clever clogs at Crisalion – they've sure dreamt up an interesting, if utterly confusing, electric flying contraption. But just when I thought I'd seen it all in the flying taxi scene, this Spanish oddity pops up!

Imagine strapping five quadcopters together and calling it an air taxi! With its bizarre tilting propeller arms and a fleet of autonomous golf carts ready to whisk you away after a crash landing, it seems someone seriously took inspiration from a sci-fi movie reject.

Crisalion's FlyFree eVTOL is an absolute unit. Instead of your sensible single propeller per arm, they've slapped on a whole quadcopter rig at the end of each limb. The intention? A level cabin, even if the pilot suddenly transforms into a stunt flyer. While that might save your drink from spilling, flying taxis are meant to be the Uber of the skies, not a replacement for the vomit comet.

Then there are the practical issues. Imagine one of those floppy propeller rigs decides to call it quits while you're zipping along. You'd go from fancy air traveler to whirling dervish faster than you can say "mayday!" And the efficiency? Sixteen tiny props buzzing to keep this thing airborne means your battery will probably last as long as a popsicle at a Sahara picnic.

Now, it seems they've seen the light, or perhaps listened to an engineer or two. Their new Integrity air taxi looks less like a wacky experiment and more like an actual aircraft. We've got wings – finally! They're still clinging to those tiny props, but at least the pilot can grab a coffee without putting everyone's lives at risk.

Here's where it gets really interesting. The Integrity is a five-seater with a range of 62 miles (100 km), enough for a quick jaunt at best. It'll cruise at 112 mph (180 km/h) and hit a top speed of 135 mph (216 km/h) if you enjoy flirting with disaster. Powering the whole shebang are 16 electric motors because four apparently just isn't enough. As for the battery, let's just say it won't be lightweight. Price? If this thing ever gets off the ground, it won't be cheap.

Speaking of getting off the ground, forget about 0 to 60 times – who cares about traffic when you can soar (or perhaps plummet) over it? But the real question is, will the whole FlyFree contraption even fly and, more importantly, stay in the air? Who knows! Their target date is 2030, and with the way technology changes on a whim, we might have mastered teleportation by then.

So, is FlyFree a breakthrough or a breakdown waiting to happen? I'm not quite sure. But hey, at least it provided a good laugh and made for an entertaining article. Remember, folks, sometimes the craziest ideas are the most fun, if only to watch from a safe distance. Just try not to be the one volunteering for a test flight anytime soon.

On a serious note, though - while we may initially laugh at some ideas, they may start something. Have you ever seen pictures of the first bicycle? What about the first car? You would never call it a car, and trust me - back in the day, people were falling over themselves, laughing when they saw one of those contraptions on the road. Look at us now. So, Crisalion - ignore my jokes and stick to your plans, however mad they may be. We need mad ideas because the sensible ones got us stuck in the last century.