Techno Chronicle | Flying cars go from fiction to reality

Who didn’t dream, when they were a child, of flying over the highways in a flying car, just like what was presented to us in cartoons?

We’re not there yet, but almost. This flying car could indeed leave the world of fiction shortly, cross over to the side of reality and appear in our settings during the year 2025.

At least that’s what the Californian company Alef Aeronautics, specializing in automobiles and aeronautics, is hoping for, which is coming to us with this new product. A completely realistic wish, since the company recently obtained special airworthiness certification from the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to be able to carry out tests.

With this certification, Alef Aeronautics can now use its flying car on American territory, on the roads and in the air. A world first.

Marty McFly is coming to town

This flying vehicle is directly inspired by a cinema classic, the feature film Back to the future. Movie buffs will remember that the DeLorean car was driven by the famous character Marty McFly, played by the no less famous actor Michael J. Fox.

We are therefore talking here about the first fully electric vehicle which will be able to circulate on the roads and in the air, a welcome innovation in the context of global warming which is raging, since it produces no emissions and it allows the use of a means of transport that is both ecological and fast. A vehicle which will also allow individuals and businesses to save many hours of travel each week on the roads.

The American company named this first flying vehicle the Model A. At first glance, it was designed to travel on the roads and to be ready to fly between sky and earth over short distances only, as well as to avoid obstacles. He can also park in the usual parking lots.

To imagine it properly, know that this machine can accommodate one or two people and that it can take off both horizontally and vertically, a bit like a drone, thanks to four propellers found on each side of the vehicle. The vertical mode therefore eliminates the need for an airport or heliport runway. Practical.

Its autonomy allows it to fly over an area of ​​177 km, or to drive over 322 km of road. For the moment, the air mode does not require any major prerequisites. To use it legally, you simply need to have a professional drone piloting license.

That said, a bit like the autonomous car, you will have to be patient a little longer before using it happily. Although the technology already exists, there are still some hurdles to overcome before these devices can be borrowed, particularly on the regulatory side.

The company nevertheless plans to deliver its first vehicles as early as 2025, 10 years after four men (President Jim Dukhovny and his friends Constantine Kisly, Pavel Markin and Oleg Petrov) set out to create this first real flying vehicle.

Back to the future

The company claims that the inspiration to develop its Model A came in 2015. However, in the second film of the trilogy Back to the futureit is precisely in the year 2015 that Marty McFly travels with his vehicle, taking a leap forward 30 years in time.

For the record, it is said within this company that the four friends met in a café and drew the first sketch on a simple napkin. A year later, the design had become reality and the first prototype was built, followed in 2018 by the first prototype that could take off, like Marty McFly.

Will the traffic jams disappear?

The question arises, since with the technology developed, we expect the vehicle to be able to travel on the road and, if necessary, take off vertically to fly over traffic. But we’re not there yet. To date, the vehicle is still at the development and testing stage, which has been taking place since 2019 now, the company indicated in a press release.

To be realistic, in the near future, it would be surprising if this vehicle could eliminate all traffic on our roads, since it will be unaffordable for the majority of drivers. To date, it could retail for around CAN$400,000.

That said, when it is finally accessible to all, the problem of land traffic could indeed be solved, although air traffic could then become an issue…

For the moment, the futuristic aspect of this flying car may seduce and inspire dreams, but it is obvious that no matter how tomorrow’s vehicles move, the future of traffic will necessarily have to be rethought.