Flying cars have been a common idea found in science fiction for many years, with settings such as Blade Runner painting a skyline filled with airborne personal vehicles.
This has inspired many in the real world to make efforts to bring this vision to life and bring traffic congestion to the skies above.
Two of the most notable examples of large-scale efforts to create flying cars are Alef Aeronautics and Archer Aviation, two companies taking very different approaches to the idea and with varying degrees of success.
Alef Aeronautics has taken a more direct approach, designing flying vehicles that resemble cars and has been developing electric flying cars for around a decade.
The idea behind this is to eventually create a flying car that can be used as an everyday commute vehicle rather than an expensive toy.
In 2018, the US-based company first flew a full-size “skeleton”, and a year later, the prototype was shown to a group of investors.
Alef would go on to unveil its first model, titled the Model A, in 2022, which was a fully electric flying car capable of driving 220 miles with a 110-mile flight range.
The Model A went on to become the first vehicle to receive a Special Airworthiness Certification from the US Federal Aviation Administration while securing its first pre-orders from a car dealership.
Recently, the company announced that it had reached another major milestone and had begun manufacturing the first flying cars for customers.
The first few models will be handcrafted and delivered to a select group of customers to facilitate real-world testing.
Not as glamorous as it sounds
While this all sounds very impressive, it’s worth noting that, although these cars will be capable of flight, they are still restricted by numerous legal limitations.
This includes thorough pre-flight checks, including lifting the vehicle to see its undercarriage and limits on flying capacity – currently, only one person is allowed to be in the vehicle lest it exceed its weight capacity
The vehicles’ range will also become an issue due to these limitations, and that’s to say nothing of the training and administrative oversight required for a person to fly a vehicle.
Currently, just booking a flight would be a more convenient and safer option.
Additionally, the Model A is classified as a Low-Speed Vehicle (LSV), which means it can travel at most at 40 km/h on regular roads.
This means that, while very impressive, Aelf’s approach to flying cars remains an extremely niche toy for the very rich, rather than a practical personal vehicle.
A more feasible approach to personal air travel
Archer Aviation has taken a more pragmatic approach to the idea of flying cars, with it focusing on the production of an electric air taxi service.
The company recently signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) to accelerate the deployment of air taxis in the country.
Should this deployment go well, the company plans to use the same framework to commercialise the service in the US, as it will align with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations.
However, it should be noted that Archer Aviation’s ‘flying taxis’ are far more akin to helicopters than actual cars and can’t drive on the road.
Its vehicles are designed to take off like a helicopter and fly like a plane, and the company has focused on ensuring they are safe, sustainable, and produce low noise levels.
Archer Aviation has indicated that it plans to target routes of 20-50 miles, which would usually take over an hour in traffic.
While not as science fiction as an actual car, Archer’s approach to the idea is far more feasible and could, in the future, become a conventional service in certain places in the world, albeit one that will be extremely expensive to use.
It remains to be seen how effective this strategy will be when pushed beyond the planning stage.
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