Traffic congestion in cities is a headache at present, but I believe that in the near future, people will be able to completely avoid traffic. According to the British media "LADBible" reported on October 22, the world's first truly "flying" car will come out in three years, it is very magical, can run on the road like an ordinary car, but also fly in the sky like a helicopter.
The world's first flying car, called the Model A, was developed by California-based Alef Airlines and sold for $30,000 (about 210,000 yuan).
Alef Aviation explained that the Model A uses existing urban infrastructure to drive and park, but can also fly directly into the sky if it encounters a traffic jam, and it is currently the only car that can do so.
On October 19, the company began pre-sales of this model, paying $150 (about 1,050 yuan) to queue in the "ordinary queue" to pick up the car, and spending $1,500 (about 10,500 yuan) to pick up the car first.
They plan to deliver the first cars in the fourth quarter of 2025. The single-passenger prototype is reportedly expected to have a range of 200 miles (about 320 kilometers) and a flight range of 110 miles (about 176 kilometers).
Jim Dukhovny, CEO of Alef, believes that the Model A will be the fastest and most convenient means of transportation ever from start to finish, and the best solution to adapt to the needs of urban transportation in the 21st century.
Duhovny said drivers can choose their own driving or flight mode, choosing the best path based on current road conditions, weather and infrastructure.
It is worth mentioning that the company has been working on flying cars since 2015, and its founding team includes Dukhovny, Constantine Kisly, Pavel Markin and Oleg Petrov, all with decades of experience in engineering and technology development.
So far, the flying car has been test driven and flown for three years. It is said to be equipped with a distributed electric propulsion system, powerful software flight stability and safety systems, as well as an aileron stabilization system and all-wheel drive, while also installing four propellers on each side of the body, but these "wings" are hidden.
The roof surface is an open grid design instead of a solid panel, which facilitates air circulation. In addition, the car is equipped with a parachute.
And for safety, the Model A also has three to eight times redundancy of all critical components and real-time diagnostics, the ability to refuse to transition to flight if the car detects a problem, the ability to detect and avoid obstacles, and glide to controlled landing sites.
Alef insists that the sky is the only answer to traffic congestion and that traffic can only be improved by adding travel in the third dimension, which no amount of lanes can do.
In addition to the Model A, Alef has big plans for the company's future, and other models are also in development, including a four-passenger Model Z.
The model will have a range of more than 300 miles (about 480 kilometers) and a range of more than 220 miles (about 352 kilometers), priced at $35,000 (about 245,000 yuan), and is scheduled to launch in 2035.
And with the entry of Model A and Model Z cars into the market, the competition in the automotive industry has become more and more fierce. It is reported that Toyota-backed Joby Airlines has taken a step towards an all-electric vehicle aircraft, and the relevant preparations have been approved.
In addition, there are many other strong competitors, including Hyundai, Cadillac, and some smaller companies such as Klein.
The company's two-seater aerial car is being tested in Slovakia, where they completed more than 140 35-minute flights from Nitra to Bratisra and landed successfully. And the same nearly 60-mile (about 96-kilometer) journey, if you drive, takes nearly 90 minutes to complete.
Image source: LADBible, Bing