Electric vertical take-off and landing start-up Aska has revealed what it claims is a fully-functional prototype of its A5 fly-and-drive eVTOL craft at the CES tech show in Las Vegas. Yes, this really is a flying car.
While many eVTOL have been described as such, what makes the Aska A5 different is that, thanks to some Transformer-esque moving bits, the four-seater is designed to be driven on the road and then operate as a flying eVTOL craft.
Get the latest email news landing in your inbox: it's the FREE Move Electric newsletter
American firm Aska is aiming to launch its ‘flying car as-a-service’ on-demand ride scheme in major cities in 2026. Basically, you’ll be able top order an Aksa A5 that will be driven to you by a qualified pilot, who’ll then fly you to your destination.
The Aska A5 is powered by a ‘proprietary’ system that features both lithium-ion battery packs and a petrol engine, which serves as a range-extender motor to charge the battery once it is depleted. That allows for a flying range of 250 miles.
When in car form, the A5 has styling similar to an SUV and is powered by in-wheel motors, which frees up space int he fuselage and also offers all-wheel-drive providing extra grip when on the ground.
When flying mode is selected the A5’s wings unfold to reveal six roots, which allows for vertical take-off and landings or conventional runway take-offs – which uses more space but is apparently more energy efficient.
The six propellors are there to ensure better redundancy in the case of a problem, while the back-up range extender engine allows for a minimum of 30 minutes reserve flight time, which is required to satisfy US aircraft regulators.
The machine is currently on display at CES, and the firm says that full-scale flight testing will start shortly.
READ MORE
Subscribe to the Move Electric newsletter
e-CARS
Ten electric cars we're excited for in 2023
Getting an EV sideways: how easy is it to drift a Kia EV6 GT?
Q&A: Jaguar Racing's Sam Bird and Mitch Evans on Formula E's new era
e-BIKES
Ten electric bikes we're excited for in 2023
Can you get fit using an electric bike?
e-MOTORBIKES
Ten electric motorbikes we're excited for in 2023
Super Soco TC Max electric motorbike review
Cake and Polestar team up for new special edition Makka e-motorbike
e-SCOOTERS
Planned laws to legalise private e-scooters face delay
Five key takeaways from the rental e-scooter trials report
Which train firms have banned e-scooters from their services?
e-WORLD
Move Electric's best features of 2022: lap records, tuk-tuks… and sausage rolls
Volvo Trucks keeps on electric trucking with three new models