This futuristic flying car could be on the road (and in the air) from 2025

SAN FRANCISCO: A startup called Alef has got the go-ahead from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to start carrying out road/air tests for its unusual flying car project.

Thanks to this Special Airworthiness Certification granted by the FAA, Alef will now be able to drive — and take off and land — its flying car on public roads.

This is the first time that a vehicle of this nature, with vertical take-off and landing capabilities, has been granted this authorisation in the United States.

This flying car, simply named "Model A," takes the form of a 100% electric sports car, capable of being driven on the road before, once stationary, taking off vertically, in the manner of a drone.

This unusual flying car boasts a range of 320km on the road and just under 180km in the air.

Its originality lies in the fact that it has no wings and is powered by a series of well-hidden propellers.

Once airborne, the car body can rotate 90 degrees around the cockpit —which remains static —- in order to move from upward to forward flight.

This flying car is priced at US$300,000 (RM1.4mil) on the Alef website. Pre-orders can already be placed by paying a deposit of US$1,500 (RM7,000), which gives priority on the waitlist.

The first shipments are scheduled for late 2025.

On paper, however, the concept looks like something straight out of a science-fiction film. It's hard to know whether Alef will be able to rise to the technological challenges of developing such a vehicle ahead of mass production.

For the time being, this certification limits the places where Alef's vehicle is allowed to fly, and it will have to prove itself and its performance before it can hope to have the right to drive (and fly) anywhere in the country.

Alef has no intention of stopping there, however, and is already working on a four-seater sedan, the "Model Z," scheduled for launch in 2035.