History’s first flying car will arrive in 2026

American company Aleph Aeronautics shows its Model A at a technology event in Spain; How much will it cost and on what date will it release?

Within the framework of the Mobile World Congress 2024 (MWC), an annual event held in Barcelona, ​​Spain, where the latest trends, innovations and advances in mobile technology are presented and discussed, in 2015 Aleph Aeronautics, an American company Was established. San Mateo, California once again showcased its – increasingly real – flying car: the Model A, and announced news regarding its premiere.

It is a fully electric two-seat sedan with vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) capability that is capable of operating on all roads in the United States and in July last year, it received a special airworthiness certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration did. Administration (AAF), to conduct test flights.

The firm’s founder and CEO Gene Dukhovny described the certification as “a small step for airplanes, but a big step for cars.”

How is Model A?

The design of the Model A is futuristic, with a fiber mesh chassis that looks similar to depictions of flying cars in science fiction films. From the Californian company they made it clear that the driving force behind starting the project was to bring the concept of Marty McFly’s ship from Back to the Future – although not literally – to Earth.,

Listed as a low-speed vehicle (LSV), the limit for driving on land is 40 kilometers per hour, following the logic that “if the driver needs a faster route, he can use the flying capabilities. “

At 5.20 meters long (17 ft), it has four tires – each with an individual motor for flight mode – and, for aerial configuration, it is equipped with eight propellers with an independently controlled electric propulsion system. The rotation is controlled by software at different speeds and is set coaxially, allowing it to take off and land vertically and tilt up to 180 degrees, but can also remain horizontal.

In terms of autonomy, as a standard car it offers 322 kilometers per charge, while in flying car mode, by air, this number drops to 170 kilometers per charge. It also includes a safety kit with a parachute, among other elements.

When will it arrive and how much will it cost?

From the genesis of the project in 2015, to the first prototype built in 2016 and the first official presentation during the Detroit Auto Show in 2023, the Model A has made a history.

“When I first drew a flying car on a coffee napkin I thought it would take about six months to build,” says Dukhovny. “That was a huge underestimation.”

He explains that the limitations they immediately faced were that, for starters, it had to be a real car traveling in real driving lanes and parked in real parking spaces. On the other hand, it should have eVTOL technology; And ultimately, it had to be accessible.

It is currently possible to make reservations to purchase the model when the first units are delivered in 2026, as planned. In this sense, there are two options: first, for $150, to get a place in the general shopping line; And second, for $1,500, to get a priority spot in the queue once the product is officially launched on the market.

This amount will be deducted from the approximately $300,000 that appears as the “expected price” on the website, although they also say that, in the second or third instance, the idea is to reduce the ship by $100,000., Aleph Aeronautics claims to have received 2,850 pre-orders from customers interested in the Model A.