Alef Aeronautics: SpaceX backed firm has nearly 3,000 pre-orders for flying car

Back To The Future’s vision of flying cars whizzing through our skies is set to be made into reality as a two-seater ‘car’ has been pre-ordered by 2,850 people.

Alef Aeronautics, based out of San Mateo, California, hopes to start production on the first of its flying cars at the end of 2025. Known as the ‘Alef Model A,’ the car will weigh 850 pounds and have a cruise speed of 110 miles per hour while in the air. On the road, it will be limited to between 25 to 30 miles per hour.

Speaking to CNBC, CEO Jim Dukhovny said: “As of today we have a little bit more than 2,850 preorders with deposits down, which makes it the best-selling aircraft in history, more than Boeing, Airbus, Joby Aviation, and most of the eVOTLs (electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles) combined.”

This model will be available to purchase at $300,000, with a deposit of just $150 to trigger a preorder.

The company has seen interest from the technology space and they’re backed by Tim Draper who invested in Tesla near the beginning and Elon Musk’s space exploration firm SpaceX.

Designed to look like an actual road car, the Alef Model A will then turn onto its side with the cockpit turned so that the driver continues facing forward once it begins to lift off. 

Dukhovny hopes to have the first one up and running in a year: “If everything goes right, we plan to, and if we have enough funding, if the law is at least not going to be worse, it’s going to be existing as it is, we plan to start production of the first one by the end of 2025.”

How will Alef’s flying car look?

Happy 4th! Stay safe and rise above! #alef #alefaeronautics #alefaeronauticsinc #evtol #riseabove https://t.co/wU832CNFHI

— Alef Aeronautics Inc. (@AlefAeronautic) July 4, 2023

The two-seater vehicle will fit into a regular driving lane, parking space, and garage – just as any normal car. It will then have the ability to take off in the air vertically, with the driver and cabin being stabilized by a gimbaled rotating design.

The driver should be able to fly in any direction, with the aim being to ‘bypass the problematic areas on the ground, by flying over them.’

It’ll be 100% electric and will be classed as a Low-Speed Vehicle (LSV) with the assumption being that if a driver needs a faster route, they’ll use the flight capabilities.

Featured image: Alef Aeronautics

Sophie Atkinson

Freelance Writer

Sophie Atkinson is a UK-based journalist and content writer, as well as a founder of a content agency which focuses on storytelling through social media marketing. She kicked off her career with a Print Futures Award which champions young talent working in print, paper and publishing. Heading straight into a regional newsroom, after graduating with a BA (Hons) degree in Journalism, Sophie started by working for Reach PLC. Now, with five years experience in journalism and many more in content marketing, Sophie works as a freelance writer and marketer. Her areas of specialty span a wide range, including technology, business, marketing, and finance.