Flying cars are edging out of science fiction and into the regulatory mainstream, as a new wave of electric aircraft inches toward full approval from The Federal Aviation Administration. A handful of startups now hold key certificates for testing and limited operation, and one of them is moving steadily through the final steps that separate experimental flights from everyday service.
That shift is forcing regulators, investors, and city planners to treat flying cars and air taxis as an imminent transportation layer rather than a distant fantasy, with early models already hand built, test flown, and in some cases offered to paying customers.
The race to certify Alef’s “Model A” and its rivals
The most visible push toward a roadworthy flying car centers on Alef Aeronautics, a California startup that describes its Alef Model A as a street legal vehicle that can drive, park in a normal space, and then lift off vertically for short flights. A California company has received an FAA Special Airworthiness Certificate for this prototype, with Its first vehicle, dubbed the Model A, pitched as a bridge between everyday commuting and low altitude flight, according to Model A details. Earlier coverage of Alef Aeronautics notes that the company spent nearly a decade refining the concept before regulators allowed test operations, a journey highlighted in social posts that frame the project as “Flying Cars Move Closer” to mainstream “Reality After” years of development by Alef Aeronautics. The company’s own site positions the Alef Mode line as a fully electric solution that can navigate traffic on the ground and then climb above it, with Alef marketing the vehicle as a practical answer to congestion rather than a toy for hobby pilots.
Regulators have already signaled that Alef’s approach fits within a broader pattern of experimental approvals. Coverage of the first airworthiness certificate for a flying car prototype notes that The Federal Aviation Administration cleared a California startup to test a vehicle that can operate on roads and then take off vertically, with the design sized to fit in a normal parking space, according to New York CNN. Additional reporting describes how Alef Aeronautics secured an FAA testing certificate that allows the company to fly an all electric vehicle it calls “100% electric,” a step executives framed as a way “to move closer to bringing people an environmentally friendly and faster commute,” as detailed in Alef Aeronautics. A separate analysis of the same aircraft notes that the company classifies the roadgoing configuration as a Low Speed Vehicle, or LSV, which carries “legal speed and other limitations in most states,” underscoring that early flying cars will face strict caps on how they are driven even before they leave the ground, according to Low Speed Vehicle.
From experimental certificates to real customers
Regulatory momentum is now intersecting with production and sales, which is where the stakes for commuters become clearer. Industry coverage notes that flying cars are no longer a theoretical concept, with the “world’s first flying car” now being hand made in California after an initial “skeleton” and prototype campaign that proved the design could fly, according to prototype reporting. A separate lifestyle feature reports that Alef Aeronautics is turning sci fi into reality by beginning production on the Alef Mode line and planning to have the “world’s first flying car” available to customers by early 2026, with Alef Aeronautics positioning the Alef Mode as a limited run product rather than mass transportation. Social clips echo that framing, describing how California based Alef Aeronautics has begun production on what it calls the “world’s first flying car,” while stressing that “It’s not mass transportation” but a premium option for early adopters, as highlighted in a Jan update.
Other companies are following parallel tracks with different business models. A Florida based startup has earned FAA approval for outdoor test flights of a compact electric vehicle, with local reporting asking “When” Flying cars might reach the market after the Florida company was just FAA approved for test operations, according to a Florida dispatch. The firm behind that project, Doroni Aerospace, promotes its vehicle as a personal electric vertical takeoff and landing craft designed for short hops over urban congestion, with Doroni presenting the aircraft as a practical tool for regional mobility rather than a long range airplane. In parallel, coverage of a $190K personal aircraft from One company, Piv, describes an Electric vertical takeoff and landing design that weighs 348 pounds and uses eight propellers, illustrating how eVTOL makers are targeting a price point and performance envelope that sits between hobby aircraft and full scale air taxis, according to Electric footage.
FAA’s broader playbook and the Joby factor
The path Alef and its peers are following did not start from scratch, and the FAA’s playbook is already thick with precedents. Earlier commentary on the first electric flying car approved for operation by the agency notes that the world of science fiction is “inching closer to reality” as regulators sign off on experimental aircraft that blur the line between plane and car, with Contents coverage emphasizing how these approvals could transform the way people travel. A separate overview explains that The FAA has also awarded approvals to at least two similar models, including Terrafugia’s Transition and Samson Sky’s Switchblade, underscoring that Terrafugia, Transition and Samson Sky, Switchblade are part of a growing stable of roadable aircraft that have cleared key regulatory hurdles, according to The FAA. More recent technical coverage notes that Although Switchblade is not the first flying car to get clearance from the FAA, it joins Terrafugia Transition in aiming to be available to the public in the US, a sign that regulators are comfortable extending similar certificates to multiple designs, as detailed in Although Switchblade.
At the same time, the most advanced certification push in the sector may belong to Joby Aviation, which is building electric air taxis rather than road capable cars but is blazing a regulatory trail that others can follow. The company’s own materials describe how Joby is developing piloted electric aircraft for commercial passenger service, with a Pilot Production Line in Marina, CA, where the first aircraft have already rolled out, as highlighted in coverage of the Joby Pilot Production Line in Marina that includes a Photo credited to Joby Aviation Inc, according to Joby Aviation Inc. Financial analysis notes that Joby moves closer toward FAA certification and that investors see scope for more upside as the company advances through the agency’s multi stage process, according to a Joby focused report. A separate breakdown explains that Joby Aviation is in the final phase of FAA certification, positioning the company to launch commercial operations once it satisfies remaining safety and operational checks, as noted in Joby Aviation. Another investor note adds that Joby Aviation JOBY, which is developing electric air taxis for commercial passenger operations, has already staged a demonstration for 2025 at Japan’s Fuji Speedway, underscoring how far the program has progressed beyond lab tests, according to Joby Aviation JOBY. In parallel, social clips celebrate what they describe as the world’s first certified flying car being cleared to drive on roads and take off vertically for short range flights, a milestone framed as a “new era of transportation” in a Dec reel. Together with a separate update that a flying car company has been granted an FAA certificate and aims for a 2025 release, with Alef targeting vertical takeoff to beat traffic congestion, the picture that emerges is of a regulator steadily normalizing vehicles that only a few years ago belonged purely to science fiction.
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