An All-Electric "Flying Car" Just Launched, and You'll Be Able to Buy It This Year

Kitty Hawk, the "flying car" company that's backed by Google founder Larry Page, just released its first video footage of their prototype in action.

The Kitty Hawk Flyer, as the company explains, is a fully electric aircraft that can fly over water and won’t require drivers to have a pilot’s license to fly. The company also asserts that anyone who wants to operate the vehicle will be able to learn how to do so in just minutes.

In the video, which you can view below, the Kitty Hawk Flyer is shown lifting off over a lake. And while it certainly looks a lot more like a jetski with wings—and much less like a flying car—the company says that they have already received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to fly the first iteration of the vehicle in uncongested areas.

 

"We've all had dreams of flying effortlessly. I'm excited that, one day very soon, I'll be able to climb onto my Kitty Hawk Flyer for a quick and easy personal flight," Page said to the New York Times.

Best of all, Kitty Hawk is prepping to bring their vehicle into commercial production by the end of this year (2017). Yes, you will be able to buy one this year; however, when it does become available for sale, it will likely face some stiff competition from other manufacturers.

Ultimately, there are a host of individuals and companies working on flying cars. For example, there's Lithium Aviation, AeroMobil, and PAL-V, who have been pushing to get their own versions of an all-electric airborne vehicle into the market in recent months.