The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has given its approval to begin take-off testing for the world’s first fully electric flying car called the A5.
The flying car which is now taking pre-orders is produced by a California–based company. It said that the FAA has issued its A5 flying car a Certificate of Authorization and Special Airworthiness Certification.
A5 started ground testing last year and started on-street driving tests in the first quarter of this year.
The fully-electric vehicle (with a hydrogen option for a higher price) is a low-speed vehicle that can be driven up to 200 miles on public roads and fits into a regular garage. It can also launch vertically into the air with a flying range of 110 miles.
“We’ve been working on the aircraft for more than five years,” Maki Kaplinsky, who launched the company with her husband, Guy, toldRobb Report. “We completed our first working prototype last December and have already started flight tests.” The company is based in Palo Alto and conducts its tests on several airfields in the San Francisco Bay area.
The four-seat A5 is the same size as an SUV and is designed to be self-operated, either as an air taxi or a privately operated vehicle. It has a dual hybrid energy system comprised of batteries and a “range-extender” gas engine to charge the batteries while in flight.
The six independent motors operate the eVTOL in flight, with an airspeed of up to 150 mph. Its maximum flight range is 150 miles, and it’s capable of vertical takeoff and landing as well as short takeoff and landing on runways.
The flying car will not depend on airport infrastructure like other electric aircraft.
“It can maximize the use of today’s infrastructure, such as the many charging stations located around us,” says Maki. “The A5 also drives into the airfield as a car, drives/taxis to the helipad or runway, transforms into the flight mode, and can take off.
The company expects the A5 to enter the commercial market in 2026 and has already secured $50 million in pre-orders. But it’s not the only flying-car contender: The Armada fromAlef Aeronauticsalso recently received an FAA Special Airworthiness Certificate.
