The Aska A5 flying electric car has received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the US Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). This powerful transformer has a flight range of 400 km and a speed of up to 240 km/h. A somewhat clumsy-looking four-wheeled car turns into a six-engine airplane at the touch of a button.
People usually imagine flying cars that smoothly transition from street to air mode, taking off and landing vertically, that feel equally good in the air and on the road. The $789,000 Aska A5 can do almost all of these things, albeit not as gracefully as in science fiction movies.
Unlike its predecessors, this is a large, powerful and quite comfortable four-seater SUV-sized car that feels confident on the highway.
The Aska A5 “electric vertical takeoff and landing” (eVTOL) aircraft automatically transforms from a ground vehicle into an aircraft with large wings for cruising and adjustable tilt propellers. A hybrid transmission with an increased range provides it with a long range and speed. To take off, it needs a fairly short runway.
So far, the Aska A5 has received the limited FAA certification required for flight tests, which the company assures us are already underway. The car is also DMV-approved for road use: it has “successfully completed more than 480 km of road testing in Silicon Valley with a DMV license plate.” Currently, the transformer is being certified by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NTHSA), and after successful testing, it will be possible to obtain an FAA certificate for commercial sale.
“Being the first electric aircraft developer to successfully complete a road test in California validates our efforts to develop an electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle with a focus on safety,” says Maki Kaplinsky, the company’s chairman.
Aska has already accepted more than 60 pre-orders and received deposits of $50 million from customers to secure them. According to the company’s website, the A5 will be ready for commercial production in 2026, subject to all certifications.
The Aska A5 form factor provides for compliance with all automotive standards, including crash tests, and all comfort and safety requirements. This is a non-trivial task, and not many companies take on such a task. Compliance with all the requirements leads to an increase in weight and creates aerodynamic and mechanical difficulties, as well as potential points of failure. The company’s next goal is to achieve G1 status with the FAA, a step on the way to full certification.
