ANN ARBOR – A dramatic new test-flight video released by a California aviation startup has reignited one of technology’s oldest promises: the flying car. The footage shows a compact electric vehicle lifting vertically from the ground, hovering smoothly, and settling back down under full control—a small flight by aviation standards, but a major psychological milestone for an industry long stuck between science fiction and engineering reality.
The video arrives at a moment when flying cars and closely related electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft—known as eVTOLs—are moving out of concept art and into early test programs. Advances in battery energy density, electric propulsion, lightweight materials, and AI-assisted flight controls have quietly reshaped what is technically possible.
But the bigger question, especially in Michigan, is no longer whether flying cars can work. It’s whether Detroit will be part of what comes next.
A Growing Field Beyond the Viral Clip
The startup behind the video is only one player in a rapidly expanding field…