Sky's the limit: Flying car 'does work and does exist,' company declares with stunning video
"We really hope that it will have a similar impact as the Wright Brothers video, in the sense that it proves to the humanity that the new mode of transportation is possible," company announces with flying car video.
California-based Alef Aeronautics unveiled the world’s first electric flying car taking flight and soaring over another vehicle.
The flying cars the world was promised when Back to the Future Part II premiered in 1989 have arrived, a company said with the release of a new video featuring its flying car.
California-based Alef Aeronautics revealed the stunning video of its electric car driving and vertically taking off. The video, released on Feb. 19, shows the flying car soaring over another vehicle as it moves through the sky during a test run in California.
The idea of flying cars has been a staple in futuristic visions for a long time, featuring in films like 'Back to the Future', 'Blade Runner' and the 'The Fifth Element,' and Alef Aeronautics says they are making that future a reality.
"This is the first publicly released video of a car driving and taking off vertically," the startup said in a news release, noting the test was success. Alef Aeronautics CEO, Jim Dukhovny, told Reuters, that he hopes the video will change the world.
The flying car hovers above another vehicle during testing. (Image credit: Reuters)
"We really hope that it will have a similar impact as the Wright Brothers video, in the sense that it proves to the humanity that the new mode of transportation is possible. It has the independently verifiable proof that this new mode of transportation does work and does exist. And we hope it will start some kind of a new market, new economy for this new mode of transportation, which we call flying cars," Dukhovny said.
Buying a flying car would be "prohibitively expensive," Dukhovny added, as they are not in the manufacturing stage yet, but said prices are likely to go down as more are produced.
"The end goal, it should be actually same level or less expensive than Toyota Corolla, Ford Focus or anything like that, because it's less complex. It's hard to estimate when as far as the exact year, but I think is going to be a very, very gradual process."
(Photo credit: Alef)
The team anticipates introducing the Alef Aeronautics flying car in 2035, according to Design Boom. "They say it can fly 200 miles with a driving range of 400 miles. This version is expected to have autonomous flight capabilities as well, unlike its predecessors."
The company hopes more people will use flying cars than ground cars to relieve traffic and make travel safer and more efficient. The car is also being touted as a top-notch search and rescue vehicle.
Buzz60’s Tony Spitz has the details.
"It's probably the best search and rescue vehicle ever created in history because whatever car cannot get and the helicopter cannot get or an airplane cannot get, the flying car could get, not only because it can both drive vertical takeoff and literally land between the trees," Dukhovny explained.
"Also, it doesn't have huge wings. It can literally fly right next to the building to, for example, rescue somebody from the balcony and so on. So it can get places where literally no other type of vehicle in history can get."
Several other automakers and startups are also working on bringing “flying cars” to consumers.
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