A SpaceX-backed flying car manufacturer revealed that it garnered a pre-order backlog of 2,850 units for its vehicles, which come with a price tag of $300,000 each.
Alef Aeronautics, a Silicon Valley-based startup, disclosed that the pre-orders for its Model A have exceeded $850 million.
The Model A, a two-seater weighing 850 pounds, was first unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show last year. It operates as an electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle (eVTOL), boasting airborne speeds of up to 110 miles per hour and ground speeds of up to 35 miles per hour.
The prototypes are scheduled to be in the air as early as 2025.
Prospective buyers can secure their reservation with a fully refundable $150 deposit. In the past year, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted the Model A a Special Airworthiness Certification, permitting the company to conduct flights in designated areas.
However, approval from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is still pending to authorize the vehicle for road use.
The viability of flying cars in urban environments raises numerous practical, unresolved questions.
Last April 2023, the FAA published a report titled “Concept of Operations: Urban Air Mobility” which envisioned “air taxis” operating within corridors between vertiports built in city centers and airports.
“State and local governments are being encouraged to actively plan for [Urban Air Mobility] UAM infrastructure to ensure transportation equity, market choice, and accommodation of demand for their communities. The vertiports and vertistops should be sited to ensure proper room for growth based on FAA-evaluated forecasts and be properly linked to surface transportation (when possible), especially if the facility primarily supports cargo operations.”
As of now, there are no legal or regulatory provisions governing the routes and trajectories of flying cars within cities.
Alef CEO Jim Dukhovny said that he expects regulatory approval for what he calls the “first flying car in history.”
“If everything goes right, we plan to … start production of the first one by the end of 2025,” Dukhovny said.
Ambitious Future Plan For eVTOL Cars
The Model A distinguishes itself from earlier iterations of flying cars through a unique feature in its flight mechanism.
Upon takeoff, the cockpit undergoes a swiveling motion, causing the carbon-fiber body to flip on its side and then propel forward by an array of propellers.
In contrast to many recent attempts by competitors, which often resemble large drones and lack the capability for ground-based travel, the Model A offers dual-mode functionality.
Alef Aeronautics estimates an impressive driving range of 200 miles and a flight range of 100 miles for the Model A.
Looking ahead, Alef’s visionary plans include a proposed Model Z sedan, projected for 2035. The Model Z is expected to boast a flight range of 200 miles and an extended driving range of 400 miles, all at an anticipated price tag of $35,000.
“This is not more complicated than a Toyota Corolla,” he said.
“Our goal is to make sure it has the same price point.”
Alef’s product was thought to be so promising that in 2022 it was backed with $3 million in seed money by Tim Draper, an early investor in Tesla and SpaceX.
“I put more (money in) when I saw that they had created a small drone prototype that did exactly what they told me it would do,” Draper said in 2022.
“The design is extraordinary. The sides of the car become the wings when the plane goes horizontal.”
Alef Aeronautics’ Model A sets a new standard in flying car innovation, boasting unique features and impressive capabilities. With the visionary Model Z on the horizon, the future of transportation looks bright.
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