World’s first flying car receives approval for test flights in the U.S.

Are we ready for flying cars? 'The Debate' host Mike Le Couteur, Lucas Meyer and Sean Vanderklis weigh in on whether the world is ready for flying vehicles.

What started as a meeting between four friends in a café in 2015 ended with a napkin sketch of a flying car. Years later, the founders of Alef Aeronautics, a California-based startup, have received approval to start testing their "Model A" flying car from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The company announced it received permission to start testing what it calls the "world’s first real flying car" on June 27, having received a special airworthiness certification from the U.S. FAA.

This comes after the company revealed prototypes and production mock-ups of the car in October 2022.

The car must meet National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration safety standards before consumers can entertain the possibility of every day use, experts say. Alef aims to get its cars in the air by 2025.

"I think we’re very far away from regular normal use, but the fact that we're actually talking about it, is actually mind blowing," senior consultant of Enterprise Canada Lucas Meyer told CTV’s The Debate with Mike Le Couteur on Tuesday.

Alef’s flying car has a price tag of US$300,000 and a range of 175 kilometres. The company is currently taking pre-orders for the car on its website. The vehicle is capable of taking off and landing vertically, as well as flying above traffic and on roads.

Alef says it hopes to solve issues of traffic congestion by innovating the next best commute with its flying car.

For a look at Alef Aeronautics' "Model A" flying car, click the video at the top of this article.