american startup next future mobility has announced plans to build a flying car that looks like a standard SUV but can take off using a set of retractable wings. aska, which means ‘flying bird’ in japanese, is an eVTOL vehicle – that stands for electric vertical take-off and landing.

aska flying car concept uses folding-wing mechanism to take off designboom

images courtesy of NFT

 

 

aska can support a maximum of three people, including the pilot and the passengers. when its time to take off, the wings fold out to expose 10 ducted fans that are built into the vehicle’s body. there are also two fans in the rear and two on the wings at either end.

 

video by ASKA by NFT eVTOL drive & fly vehicle

 

 

together, the 14 fans provide enough thrust for the aska to lift up off the ground and fly at greater distances than with a drone-like design. once at a cruising altitude, the vehicle’s rear and wing fans pivot to sit vertically and propel the aska forward into a faster and more energy-efficient fixed-wing flight mode.

 

power is provided by rechargeable batteries that when full have a maximum range of 563km with one passenger or 241km with three people on board. information on speed capabilities have not been announced.

aska flying car concept uses folding-wing mechanism to take off designboom

 

 

whilst aska might seamlessly transform from a standard suv to a flying car, it wont simply be able to take off from the streets. it will require landing and launching pads if it makes it to through the testing stages that are scheduled to take place early next year.

 

the project has been self-funded to date says mike kaplinsky who is the chief executive of NFT. $50 million is needed in the first funding round to build and fly the initial full-scale prototype, according to flightglobal.

aska flying car concept uses folding-wing mechanism to take off designboom

 

 

the company is also developing the technology to enable asks to fly autonomously. described by NFT as ‘the brain of the product’ the software is designed to sense and avoid obstacles and provide for ‘safe and worry-free flights’, says kaplinsky.

 

the aska was officially unveiled this monday at the ecomotion show in tel aviv, where a scale ‘demonstrator’ model was presented. it is projected to reach the market by 2025 with a price of $50,000.

 

project info:

 

company: NFT

model: aska

type: flying car