The $300,000 Alef Aeronautics Model A is getting off the ground. It has been approved to begin a flying test around the U.S.A on both land and in the sky.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has given special airworthiness certification to a flying car that was inspired by Marty McFly in Back to the Future. This certification brings us one step closer to a world where cars zoom around in the air.
The Model A, priced at $300,000 and developed by the SpaceX-backed California startup Alef Aeronautics, is designed to accommodate one or two occupants for road travel, covering up to 200 miles. It can be parked like a regular car. However, it also functions as an eVTOL (electric take-off and landing aircraft), capable of flying for a range of 110 miles.
Alef Aeronautics, a California startup, has been granted testing certification for its vehicle/aircraft known as the “Model A.” This makes it the first fully electric vehicle capable of both driving and flying to receive approval from the U.S. government.
The Model A is a groundbreaking flying vehicle that can also drive on city streets and park in regular car stalls. It has now been approved for test runs on both land and in the sky. “This certification now gives us the ability to fly in locations we need and for purposes we need.”
“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,” said Jim Dukhovny, the CEO of Alef.
According to the company, the idea for the Model A came in 2015, the same year that the main character of the Back to the Future movie franchise, Marty McFly, traveled to the “future.”
Dukhovny, along with his friends Konstantin Kisly, Pavel Markin, and Oleg Petrov, brainstormed the initial design on a napkin in a café in 2015. By 2016, they had built the first sub-scale prototype, and in 2018, the first full-size “skeleton” for the design was completed.
Like a drone, the Model A can take off and land vertically, eliminating the need for a runway. It has the capacity to carry one or two passengers, according to the company.
The Model A has a flying range of approximately 177 kilometers and can travel approximately 320 kilometers as a vehicle. The company classifies it as a “low-speed vehicle,” ensuring that it operates within the legal speed limit in most U.S. states, according to their website.
“Designed to drive on the street, take off vertically when needed and fly overhead above traffic, we’re building the solution to the issues of modern congestion,” Alef says on its website. “We enable faster and easier commutes, driven by proprietary technology that elevates the vehicle without the need for runways.”
Alef Aeuronutics expects to deliver the first production models in 2025. The company has reportedly taken more than 400 pre-orders, which are priced at $150 in the general queue or $1,500 for the priority queue.
