Have you ever wished you could fly anywhere to avoid traffic jams? This seemingly sci-fi idea may be much closer to reality now, as a futuristic vehicle by Alef Aeronautics has taken its first flight.

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Costing $300,000, the vehicle can be driven like a normal car in the streets. In a remarkable addition, it also has propellers in the bonnet and the boot, allowing it to take off.

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The first video of the test flight of the vehicle was released by its US-based automaker on social media. The video has quickly gained popularity among the users.

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The footage captures the car driving before it vertically takes off the ground and glides through the air over another car in front of it, before coming back on the ground.

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'Proof of technology'

The vehicle has a distributed electric propulsion system, with a mesh layer covering the propeller blades, which allows the car to fly. 

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“This is the first publicly released video of a car driving and taking off vertically,” said the company CEO Jim Dukhovny in a press release. The prototype for the test was an ultralight version of the Alef Model Zero, according to the New York Post.

“This drive and flight test represents an important proof of technology in a real-world city environment,” Dukhovny said while comparing the achievement to the Wright Brothers' Kitty Hawk video from 1903.

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The vehicle to be launched is expected to be a two-seater with a flying range of 110 miles and a driving range of 200 miles. It is expected to have autopiloting flight capabilities as well. The company has said it received over 3,000 pre-orders. 

Alef hopes to launch an updated version of the vehicle called the Alef Model Z by 2035 which will be a four-person sedan with flying capabilities of 200 miles and a driving range of 400 miles.

Social media reacts

As the video went viral over social media, users expressed their amusement in the comments on X, while some doubted its viability.

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“My childhood, back-to-the-future dream is coming true,” a user said. Another wrote, “Flying cars, finally! About damn time we got outta these traffic jams. Hope they can actually deliver on this 2026 thing.”

A person said, “Flying cars could revolutionize urban travel, but how will regulations, safety, and costs impact their adoption? Excited to see Alef’s progress any thoughts on the challenges ahead?”