So this is what the future looks like.
Pretty much every sci-fi movie worth its weight has had one thing in common: Flying cars.
While scientists have tried over the years, nothing has worked and we find ourselves in the year 2023 still fighting bumper to bumper traffic.
But all of that may soon be behind us as news of the first flying car getting flight certified has been released.
Dubbed the “Model A”, the 100% electric vehicle built by Alef Aeronautics was the first of its kind to receive the Special Airworthiness Certification from the US Federal Aviation Administration, according to Electrek.
The multi-modal, two passenger vehicle will have a flying range of 110 miles and a driving range of 200 miles, although it’s officially listed as a “Low Speed Vehicle,” meaning it won’t be able to go over 25 mph on the ground.
The company has been testing full-sized prototypes since 2019 and expects commercial production to begin late in 2025.
Alef CEO Jim Dukhovny had the following to say about the achievement.
“We’re excited to receive this certification from the FAA. It allows us to move closer to bringing people an environmentally friendly and faster commute, saving individuals and companies hours each week.
This is a one small step for planes, one giant step for cars.”
I wouldn’t expect to start seeing these all over the place in the next few years though, as the presale price is $300,000 and sure to jump much higher if they continue to clear regulatory hurdles on the path to mass market adoption.
Next on the list of certifications required to be road (and sky) ready is approval from the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration, along with a long, long list of others.
The company claims to have around 440 reservations already in place, but this news is sure to create a bit of a bump as people rush to be earlier adopters of a technology long awaited for.
Personally, I’m going to let a whole bunch of others test them out before hopping in one myself… Like a whole bunch of people…
