- cross-posted to:
- news@beehaw.org
- technology@beehaw.org
- cross-posted to:
- news@beehaw.org
- technology@beehaw.org
Alef Aeronautics’ ‘Model A’ has a driving range of 200 miles and a flight range of 110 miles. The company plans to start delivering cars by late 2025.
I’m sure this will go completely fine and have no issues at all.
Will rich idiots with too much money buy this car and kill themselves?
Recent data suggests yes.
Can it also dive to 4000m under the sea?
Technically yes?
Flying car stories are like battery tech stories, always one around the corner that’s going to revolutionize the industry. Just clickbait based on the glaring lack of technical details.
Anyway people can’t avoid accidents in two dimensions, adding another dimension would make that orders of magnitude worse. The only way flying cars can work safely is 100% autopilot. They still can’t get autopilots to work without incident in normal cars.
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Don’t forget that with batteries in particular we basically always design our devices to use up all that new capacity rather than having them just go longer without charging. If you could fit a modern Iphone battery into one from 2010 it would probably run all week without needing to recharge.
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True, but gravity is a bitch.
I don’t understand why, if it’s approved by the FAA, there’s no actual video of it, only renders.
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Oh, I see, and despite that, they are already taking pre-orders.
Are they also taking pre orders for bridges?
FAA approved it to be tested. Not for mass production or for a layman to use it. They probably got one flight plan approved.
Exactly! Flying cars sound neat in scifi, but in reality they are fucking loud and require 10x as much fuel or energy to transport the same people or goods. Just imagine the constant screaming noise overhead and if you think people drive like idiots now, just wait till they have to drive in 3 dimensions. No thanks!
Hm given what happened in the past with planes and pilots and all the regulations put in the place for that, I’m a bit surprised the FAA approved this. But it’s only under experimental status so I’d hope when it gets more development the FAA looks at it move in depth and imposes more rules. FYI the imploded submersible was also approved under experimental status so this thing sort giving me vibes of that.
“The constraints were: […] it has to be affordable for most people (not just the rich),” Alef said.
…
It costs $300k.