"The world's first real flying car" could be on the streets — or rather, above them — sooner than you think. That's if you have £270,000 to spare.
Alef Aeronautics' new vehicle with the rather understated name of "Model A" will still be able to drive on roads, but it can take off and soar above traffic jams and beat those annoying rush hour queues. The California-based firm claims that their car is the only one that can do this at present.
For the time being the vehicle will only be allowed to keep its tyres on terra firma, but Alef hopes it could take to the highways in the sky before long. The firm plans to make its first deliveries of the Model A in 2025 — but have already opened pre-sales.
Described as a "solution to the issues of modern congestion", the Model A has a 200-mile range on the ground and a 110-mile range when flying. Company CEO Jim Dukhovny said: "The Alef Model is a modern solution for both urban and rural transportation needs in the 21st century because it is the fastest and most convenient transport ever created from the point of origin to the final destination.
By enabling consumers to choose driving or flying mode, the Alef allows the user to make the best choices on getting around based on road conditions, weather and infrastructure. The company says it has been test flying a full-size prototype of the Model A since 2019.
In a statement, the firm explained: "It has a distributed electric propulsion system, no exposed propellers, extensive software flight stabilisation and safety system, elevon stabilisation system, and all-wheel driving. Key safety components include triple to octuple redundancy of all key components, real-time thousand point diagnostics, pre-flight reject start diagnostics, obstacle detection and avoidance, among others."
The Alef team has been working on the flying car since 2015, backed by high-profile investors. The team is also working on additional models, including a four-person sedan called the Model Z, scheduled to be introduced in 2035. It will be capable of flying more than 330 miles, with an on-road driving range of 220 miles.
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