For many years, we have was promised real flying cars that could revolutionize the way we get around, but for the most part, Every startup comes and goes just tried to sell us some small quadcopters that are supposed to be flying cars. That won’t work. Now, a California company has been approved from the Federal Aviation Administration to start testing my flying car, which actually looks like a car.
The Model A is a new concept from a company called Alef, which has been working on making all-electric flying cars since 2015. Unlike the electric quadcopters that we don’t know. companies like Stellantis and United are backing, this one actually works like a car. According to Alef, it should be able to travel 200 miles on the road or 110 miles in the air per battery cycle.
Currently, flight report that the FAA approved the vehicle for take-off as a test aircraft, making it the first “true” flying car design approved by the United States Government. Of course, “truth” must be highlighted here, as other “flying cars” are similarly approved, but their fixed-wing design limits their ability to take off from airports. . As Bay reports:
However, Alef’s Model A is designed to take off in dense urban environments. After the Santa Clara, California-based startup emerged from stealth mode in October, CEO Jim Dukhovny explained that the vehicle will be primarily on the road but will allow users to ‘ jump’ around obstacles such as ‘road, weather and infrastructure conditions’.
Once approved by the FAA, Alef now says they are planning their first flight of public displays, I’m sure they hope to encourage people to shell out the $300,000 they’re asking for when it’s up sales floor from 2025.
But what is it? Well, it’s basically a mesh frame that gives the Model A its car-like look, in the middle is a cabin with space for the driver and one passenger. At each corner of the grid is a wheel with an independent motor, and underneath the body is eight propellers give the Model A . lift.
So far, the company has only flown tests to demonstrate the viability of this design, but this regulatory approval will begin to change that. However, there is still a long way to go before the Model A can reach customers. Bay reports that it will Needs approval to act as both a car and a plane, may take time. As the website explains:
To be commercialized as an automobile, the Model A would have to at least achieve the speed of a regular car. And Dukhovny’s initial plan to certify it as a low-speed vehicle — limited to speeds of just 25 mph on public roads — failed to build trust, although he assured that the startup Industry will eventually seek full automotive certification.
If Alef can make all of that work, it will have to figure out where craft is in the world. Most flying taxi services will take advantage of existing airfields and helipads to take to the skies, while the Model A hopes to take off from the midst of some of the world’s busiest cities. For that to happen, air traffic control systems will need to be deployed and the airspace will have to be monitored for safety.
While the federal support gained this week is positive, there’s still a long way to go if Alef hopes to meet its launch in 2025.
