The Federal Aviation Administration gave the go-ahead to Alef Aeronautics this week to begin air and road testing of the world’s first fully electric flying car, USA Today reported.
The FAA granted Alef a Special Airworthiness Certification, which outlines how and where the vehicle is allowed to fly, FOXBusiness reports.
Alef’s CEO, Jim Dukhovny, hopes the certification “will be our next step.” Before the first car flies, however, the vehicle will also have to meet National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration safety standards, according USA Today. (RELATED: MIT Engineers Make Flying Car)
“The historical significance of this cannot be overstated,” Dukhovny told USA Today. “It’s also important that Alef is the first electric car which received permission to fly” and that “the ability for vertical takeoff is central to most people’s conception of a ‘flying car,'” he added.
Want to soar above a pesky traffic jam? That opportunity could be closer than you think after the FAA approved the first “flying car.” pic.twitter.com/Y9MtQGFRrc
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) June 30, 2023
The flying machine was reportedly conceived by two 2015 events, “one real and one fictional,” according to Alef’s website. The fictional event was from “Back to the Future II” when protagonist Marty McFly travelled into the “future” (to October 2015) in a flying car. The real event was when Dukhovny met four partners that same year at a café and drew a prototype on a napkin, the website states.
The car will reportedly go about 25 mph on the road, meaning it will be a Low Speed Vehicle, per Alef. But if drivers need to reach their destination faster, they will be able to take flight.
“[The flying car] allows us to move closer to bringing people an environmentally friendly and faster commute, saving individuals and companies hours each week,” Dukhovny said. “This is one small step for planes, one giant step for cars.”
Alef says a flying car will cost $300,000. Presently customers can preorder models with delivery beginning in 2025.