The world’s first flying car, valued at nearly a quarter of a million dollars, has been revealed to the public.
The revolutionary Alef Model A Ultralight uses eight propellers stored in the front and rear to launch itself into the air.
When it’s not beating the traffic, it can be driven like any other normal car.
After being in the works for more than a decade, Alef Aeronautics have announced that customers can expect lift off very soon.
The vehicle will be hand-assembled in the company’s facilities in California.
Tucked away in Silicon Valley, each vehicle is subject to rigorous testing to ensure maximum safety.
Only after “several months” of painstaking craft will the vehicle be deemed safe enough to send out to excited customers.
The first few in existence will be given to a only handful of customers to test out in real-world conditions.
Each buyer will need to go through compliance and maintenance training beforehand.
This slow rollout will allow the company to tweak any potential issues before it enters mass production.
“We are happy to report that production of the first flying car has started on schedule,” said Jim Dukhovny, CEO of Alef Aeronautics.
“The team worked hard to meet the timeline, because we know people are waiting.
“We’re finally able to get production off the ground.”
Unlike flying taxis, which rely on airports, Alef Aeronautics say its creation is the first true “flying car” that can both drive on the road and soar through the sky.
The Model A is both a road-legal and capable of taking off without wings via eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing).
Back on solid ground, the Model A drives like any other normal electric vehicle – thanks to four small engines in each of its wheels.
The driver’s seat is surrounded by powerful propellers that generate enough thrust for flight at an impressive 110 miles per hour.
With enough room for the pilot and one passenger, it has a range of 200 miles on the ground and 110 miles in the air.
The entire car – fashioned from carbon-fibre – weights just 385kg so it can be classified as an ultralight “low speed vehicle”.
This means that it will be capped at 25 miles per hour on public roads despite being able to drive faster.
Having received airworthiness certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 2023, the Model A is now one step closer to becoming reality.
The company has reported its has received 3,500 pre-orders, which equates to more than £800 million.
Alef Aeronautics’ CEO has said that he wanted to bring sci-fi to life and build an “affordable” flying car.
This cutting-edge technology will likely cost in the region of £25,000 when built at scale.
He also claims that the car, which is aimed at the general public, would take just 15 minutes to learn how to use.
Until production picks up, only the lucky few will be able to get their hands on the car of the future for now.
