We might finally get flying cars, but not without strings attached.
Alef Aeronautics has presented its Model A electric vehicle, which can be used on the road and in the air.
Since 2015, Alef Aeronautics, a US-based automotive and aviation company, has aimed to build a flying car. Now, the company is one step closer to turning this idea into reality by signing an agreement with aerospace companies PUCARA Aero and MYC.
The company states that its future car is “designed to drive on the street, take off vertically when needed and fly overhead above traffic,” solving the problem of spending hours in traffic.
Alef’s retro-styled Model A will be a fully electric car that can take off vertically and land. To fly, the car’s chassis will be able to rotate 90 degrees, becoming a fixed wing. The vehicle’s body will be made from mesh, allowing air to flow through when flying.
The Model A can accommodate only one person.
It was previously reported that the car would have a flying range of 110 miles and a maximum speed of 25 miles per hour on the road.
The car's first prototype was introduced in 2019, four years after the engineers started working on it.
The Model A could be sold for $300,000, and pre-orders are already available. Interested parties can join a pre-order “priority queue” for $1500 and a “general queue” for $150. The company shared that it had already received 3,200 preorders.
Even though the flying car is already on the market, the question remains whether it could be operated by anyone with a driver’s license and the funds to purchase the vehicle.
Last year, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued rules for “powered-lift aircraft” that state only those with a certified Private Pilot License can operate such a vehicle, reports LiveScience.
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