Alef Aeronautics has unveiled a prototype flying vehicle that it says will drive on roads but can also take off to avoid traffic.

The upper surface of the Alef Model A consists of an open mesh that allows air to pass through. Inside the fuselage, the passenger balloon has eight propellers, four on one side and four on the other.

A computer image shows how Alef envisions its vehicles to fly horizontally with its fuselage tilted upwards so that the propellers inside can propel it forward.

Standing in front of the Alef Model A prototype, Alef Aeronautics CEO Jim Dukhovny demonstrates how a passenger stays flat inside the balloon in a forward flight configuration as the flying vehicle circles the balloon.

While this single-passenger Alef Model A prototype can fly, it has only small wheels and is not designed to test the company’s plan to produce a road-going flying vehicle.

Inside this boxy prototype, you can see the eight propellers, the passenger compartment and the sides of the car that become wings as it leans into flight. However, this wing conversion has not yet been tested by the company with a human pilot.

A second team is working on the production of a second Alef Zero prototype. The company hopes that having two independent teams will mean faster progress.