For decades, futurologists have dreamed of flying cars, but in reality little progress has been made. Now one company is one step closer to realizing that vision and has received government approval to test fly its sports car.
Alef, a California-based aviation company, recently announced that it has received special airworthiness certification from the Federal Aviation Administration, allowing it to fly the car in limited locations.
The company’s Armada Model Zero aircraft received certification June 12, the FAA told CBS MoneyWatch. “This certificate allows the aircraft to be used for limited purposes, including exhibition, research and development. This is not the first aircraft of this type to have received a special airworthiness certificate from the FAA,” the agency said in a statement.
Alef’s founders began work on the project in 2015, the year referred to in the classic sci-fi film Back to the Future II – which is about flying cars – and unveiled a prototype late last year . His first vehicle, designated Model A, is a street-legal car that can drive on streets and park in a standard parking lot.
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It can also take off vertically and fly through the air in any direction, the company says. According to Alef, the vehicle has a flight range of 110 miles and a driving range of 200 miles.
Earning FAA certification “allows us to provide people with greener, faster commutes and save individuals and businesses hours each week,” Alef CEO Jim Dukhovny said in a statement.
Alef’s Model A in flight in a handout photo. alf
The all-electric vehicle is priced at $300,000, with a more expensive hydrogen option offering longer range. According to the company, it accommodates one to two people.
Resembling a sports car, the sleek gray vehicle features hidden propellers and a gimbaled cab to stabilize the driver and passenger.
According to its website, the company aspires to create “the fastest, most convenient transportation ever from origin to final destination,” and calls its product “the solution to the problems of modern traffic congestion.”
Alef’s flying car model A. Alef
The company announced in January that it had received 440 pre-orders for the $300,000 vehicle, with production and deliveries slated to begin in late 2025.
Alef is also working on a four-seater sedan, which the company promises to launch in 2035.