Alef Aeronautics, an advanced technology company, has unveiled a prototype of the Alef “Model A”, described as the “only flying car with street driving and vertical take-off”.
The Alef “Model A” is an all-electric car, with vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) capabilities. The car has a driving range of 200 miles and a flight range of 110 miles. It has a distributed electric propulsion system, no exposed propellers, extensive software flight stabilization and safety system, elevon stabilization system, and all wheel driving. Key safety components include triple to octuple redundancy of all key components, real-time thousand point diagnostics, pre-flight reject start diagnostics, obstacle detection and avoidance among others.
The Alef founding team comprises Constantine Kisly, Pavel Markin, Oleg Petrov and Jim Dukhovny, who have been developing the Alef flying car since 2015. It earned early support from investors, led by Tim Draper (who, among others, was one of the first venture capitalists to invest in Tesla), former head of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and Ford Aerospace Dr. Anthony Tether, NBA star Luis Scola, Bugatti designer Hirash Razaghi and others.
Alef Founders
“The Alef Model is a modern solution for both urban and rural transportation needs in the 21st century because it is the fastest and most convenient transport ever created from the point of origin to the final destination. By enabling consumers to choose driving or flying mode, the Alef flying car allows the optimal path depending on road conditions, weather and infrastructure,” says Alef’s CEO Jim Dukhovny.
Alef has been test driving and test flying the Alef full-size prototype since 2019. The company plans to begin production and initiate first deliveries in the fourth quarter of 2025.
The first Alef flying car is available for pre-sale to consumers on for $300K, with $150 regular queue or $1,500 priority queue deposit.
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- Alef in Transition Flight
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- Alef Model A top view
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- Alef Model A open doors
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- Alef Model A seats
With additional models in development, Alef is working towards the four-person sedan, Alef “Model Z” scheduled for introduction in 2035 priced at $35K. It is being designed to be capable of flying 300+ miles with a driving range of 220+ miles.
There are many so-called flying cars currently in developing, many with ambitious launch dates but few companies address the thorny issue of air traffic management or indeed airworthiness certification process for airborne vehicles. Still videos like this one from Alef really do look cool, if not still many decades away.