Visions of the future in science fiction movies have long included flying cars. Now, that fantasy may actually become a reality, as the first electric flying car has been approved for testing by the Federal Aviation Administration, USA Today reported.
The "Model A" is a product of a company called Alef Aeronautics. The company said in a news release that it has received a Special Airworthiness Certification from the FAA to begin testing in designated areas. Next, it will have to meet National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration standards.
If all goes according to plan, Alef Aeronautics hopes to begin delivering the Model A by the end of 2025. Pre-orders are currently available for the very optimistic potential customers out there. Once it's completed, the company expects to sell the Model A for $300,000.
While there have been other attempted flying car projects — Alef's CEO cited, as an example, Terrafugia, a Chinese-owned, Massachusetts-based corporation that received FAA certification before laying off most of its employees and shutting down U.S. operations in 2021 — the Model A is the first of its kind in that it is fully electric.
"This is the first time a vehicle, in the traditional sense (parks and drives like a car, functions like a car, looks like a car), has received permission to fly," Alef CEO Jim Dukhovny told USA Today. "It's also important that Alef is the first electric car which received permission to fly."
The Model A will have a driving speed of up to only 25 miles per hour, classifying it as a low-speed vehicle. However, it will also have the ability to "take off vertically when needed and fly overhead above traffic." It will have a driving range of 200 miles and a flight range of 110 miles.
It is not clear what heights the Model A will be able to soar to, but getting it off the ground is quite a first step.
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