Alef flying car gets FAA air worthiness certification for testing
Alef Aeronautics announced that its “Model A” flying car has received a Special Airworthiness Certification, allowing the company to begin testing it in the air and on the ground in limited locations.
“We’re excited to receive this certification from the FAA,” Alef CEO Jim Dukhovny said in a press release from late June. “It allows us to move closer to bringing people an environmentally friendly and faster commute, saving individuals and companies hours each week. This is one small step for planes, one giant step for cars.”
The “Model A” is the first vehicle of its kind to fly while also being drivable on roads and capable of parking like a typical car. Alef says the flying car is a low speed vehicle and can be driven on regular urban or rural streets.
“The assumption is that, if a driver needs a faster route, a driver will use Alef’s flight capabilities,” the company said on its website.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
The car has vertical takeoff and landing capabilities and can fly in any direction. With room for a driver and up to one other passenger, those inside are “stabilized by a unique gimbaled rotating cabin design.”
The “Model A” is also 100% electric. It can be driven up to 200 miles on the ground and has a flying range of 110 miles.
Alef, a startup based in San Mateo, Calif., expects to sell each vehicle for $300,000 and hopes to get it out by the end of 2025. The flying car is available for preorder, with a general queue submission costing $150 and a priority queue entry costing $1,500.
The company will need further approval from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as it looks to continue testing its vehicle.
Source: NBC Bay Area
