Aska, a startup company, has unveiled its A5 flying car, which is preparing for takeoff and taking preorders for $789,000, with a $5,000 deposit. The Aska A5 is powered by electric batteries backed up by a small gas engine and is about the size of a large SUV. The A5 can be charged at home or at conventional EV stations and its gas engine provides an additional 50 miles of range, using premium gasoline. It has large wings with propellers like a helicopter and fits in a regular parking space, needing an area the size of a helipad for vertical takeoff and landing. The Aska A5 flying car can fly at speeds of up to 150 mph and travel 250 miles on a single charge, which would greatly reduce travel time on long trips.
Aska CEO Guy Kaplinsky envisions the A5 tackling long commutes, allowing people to move to more affordable communities further from big cities and reducing the number of regular cars they own. He believes most people will use the A5 through a ride-sharing service when needed. “This is going to impact society and generations to come,” Kaplinsky said. “Our generation, you know, it takes time to pick up, but for our kids, this is going to be normal. We want to provide them a better quality of life.”
“It will be fully autonomous by 2030”
– Guy Kaplinsky, CEO, Aska.
While the A5 will initially need pilots, Kaplinsky predicts it will be fully autonomous by 2030, communicating with other A5s to avoid in-air collisions. Until then, air-traffic controllers will monitor the flying cars like they do small planes. Aska’s factory in Mountain View, California can produce one or two A5s per month. However, the company still needs approvals from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other agencies to make the flying car flight- and street-legal before it can begin operations.
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