Jul 04, 2023 13:07:00

Flying car prototype receives airworthiness certificate from Federal Aviation Administration

It became clear that the flying electric car ' Model A ' developed by

Alef Automotive , a startup in California, received airworthiness certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States. This is the first time that an electric vehicle that can fly and drive on roads has received approval.

Flying car prototype approved by FAA
https://tucson.com/life-entertainment/nation-world/technology/flying-electric-car-test-approved/article_08cc87f4-1473-5a0c-b6bf-e8d61f6a7799.html

Alef Reveals Prototypes For A Flying Car That's Really A Flying Car
https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradtempleton/2022/10/19/alef-reveals-prototypes-for-a-flying-car-thats-really-a-flying-car/f

Model A has a mesh structure as a whole, and the inside is transparent. There is a lifting mechanism consisting of eight rotors in the center of the ceiling, and it seems that you can fly in the sky using this. By tilting the rotor, the direction of flight can be changed, and it is possible to take off and land vertically, or to turn the car body 90 degrees sideways. During flight, the cockpit with a capacity of 1 to 2 people rotates along the axis, so the humans inside can always face forward even during flight.

Utilizing the mechanism that enables vertical take-off and landing, it is envisioned to be used for avoiding accident vehicles blocking the road.

The flight scene assumed by Alef Automotive's flying car 'Model A' looks something like this - YouTube


According to Alef Automotive, Model A has a cruising range of 200 miles (about 322 km) and a flight distance of 110 miles (about 177 km). The company plans to release this car at the end of 2025 at a price of 300,000 dollars (about 43 million yen) per unit.

Many companies are working on the development of fully electric VTOL (vertical take-off and landing aircraft) , and it seems that there are not a few all-electric VTOLs that have received airworthiness certification from the FAA, but it looks like a car and moves both land and sky. It seems that it is the first time that an aircraft that can do it has received airworthiness certification.

According to Alef Automotive CEO Jim Duhovney, the car was inspired by the movie ' Back to the Future '. ``We are thrilled to have been certified by the FAA so we can help people save time by providing them with a greener and faster way to commute,'' Dukhovny said. increase.

It is said that the airworthiness certification will expand the range of research and development that Alef Automotive can do, but further approval is required to actually run on public roads. 'This is a small step for planes and a big step for cars,' said Dukhovny.