Industry leaks hint at tech mogul’s sky-high ambitions

Google founder Larry Page has allegedly ploughed vast sums of cash into an ambitious bid to build a flying car.

The billionaire tech mogul has been linked to two separate firms which are competing to design a motor that's capable of soaring through the skies.

Although several companies have attempted to build a flying car, none have managed to design a craft that's safe enough - or cheap enough - to be brought to market.

, Page has spent an estimated $100 million on his incredible project.

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He is alleged to have funded two separate companies, Zee.Aero and Kitty Hawk, which are both based in California.

The work of these firms is shrouded in secrecy and Page has not confirmed whether he is funding the creation of a flying car.

On its website, Zee.Aero said it's "developing a revolutionary new form of transportation", but doesn't reveal concrete details.

It has filed a number of patents in the past five years, one of which  of a "personal aircraft" which looks a lot like a flying car.

Kitty Hawk is rumoured to be building a craft which looks like a massive quadcopter drone.

Page is understood to be firm friends with Elon Musk, the Tesla electric car billionaire planning to run a privately funded mission to Mars.

It is this relationship which is believed to have sparked the Google founder's interest in pursuing his sky-high ambitions.

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“There’s a lot of money going into internet startup kinds of things, which is great,” he told Bloomberg in a previous interview.

“But for some of the real problems we face, I think we need other kinds of investments, too. I have young kids, so I would like them to be safe.

"I’d like for pedestrians to be much safer. I’d like for blind people and old people and young people to get around.”

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Several firms are working to develop an airborne automobile, although none have been successful so far.

It remains to be seen whether the Google boss can make science fiction dreams become a reality.