The dream of flying car He returned to get alive, this time with the Zero Model by Alef Aeronauticsan American startup that recently spread a video in which his prototype seems to lift up in the air after walking a few meters on the road. The news in a short time went around the web, arousing enthusiasm but also several doubts. Looking at the movie with a minimum of critical eye, in fact, more questions emerge than answers: is it really a flying car or a “masked” drone by car? And above all, what are the real intentions of the company?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cycwzobwbu8
Flying car or marketing stunt?
Let’s start fromvehicle appearance: if you expected something similar to a car with retractable wheels that turns into airplane, forget it! The Model Zero looks more like a Large drone with four wheels attached to the body of the “machine” rather than a real flying car. The aerodynamic design and the propellers hidden under the bodywork technically make the Model Zero more similar to a Empl (Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing) – that is, a drone with passenger transport capacity capable of hovering in the air vertically – which to a car capable of flying. So let’s forget that what we have seen fly is a real car or even just a means of transport for people in flesh and blood: it is at the time of an ultralight prototype for demonstration purposes. Interesting as innovation, but it seems a little improper to speak of “flying car”.
The test shown in the video, then, does not offer guarantees on the feasibility of this means in real life: no in -depth technical details, no recovery from different angles that can confirm the authenticity of the demonstration. Regarding the test, perplexity arise despite having been led to the presence of some journalists. Mashablefamous information site, for example, in commenting on the news reported:
The car has been subjected to several tests so far, one of which has been assisted by NBC News, although the news agency pointed out that those present did not see a driver enter or leave the vehicle.
In short, all these elements, put together, suggest that the video spread by Alef can be more A marketing stunt that a real step forward in urban mobility. And speaking of marketing, another aspect that, in all honesty, has left more perplexed more than someone is the emphasis on the company on the pre -order of this product. Alef Aeronautics has already collected beyond 3300 reservationsdespite the exorbitant price necessary to grab the future car, which for the news amounts to 299,999 dollars. But if you go to visit the company’s official website, you realize that, while the button to preordinate is well in sight, The technical details on the operation of the vehicle are scarce Or they are completely missing.
This business model recalls other cases in which ambitious startups have collected millions of dollars in pre -orders for futuristic products that then never really saw the light. Where are the data on certifications? Who guarantees that the flying car will actually be produced? For now, the only “tests” are those provided by the company itself, and this is a alarm bell for anyone who wants to invest in such a project.
Attention: All this does not mean that this is also the case of Alef Aeronautics. What we want to focus on is the media narration Sorted around this test, with bombastic titles like “the flying car is now a reality” when in reality all this enthusiasm seems absolutely premature.
Doubts about feasibility and regulations
But assuming that Alef Aeronautics technology will really work and leads to the creation of a real car capable of flying, the Question of regulations. The Model Zero has a road speed of only 40 km/hthat the ranking like a LSV (Low-Speed Vehicle), making it a little faster than one Golf Cart with flight ability. Somewhat limiting if you want to use it to circulate in safety on extra -urban roads, just to give an example. In addition, integrating flying cars into city airspace is not a recently company: new regulations, advanced safety systems and dedicated infrastructures would be needed. And for now, none of this has been concretely addressed by the authorities and startups like Alef, who operate in this particular sector.
Alef Aeronautics promises to deliver his first commercial model, the Model aby 2026but until concrete tests of the real functionality of the vehicle will be provided, the doubt remains that it is more than a marketing strategy than a revolutionary innovation, as has been passed off by most of the media, international and non -international.
