GabyJim Duchovny, CEO of California startup Alef Aeronautics, revealed the vehicle at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Duchovny has roots in Kyiv.
The pre-order list for the Alef Model A, which opened in 2023, is already long — despite its hefty $300,000 price tag.
Unlike most flying cars, this model can drive on roads like a conventional car. Eight propellers hidden under the body allow the vehicle to take off vertically at any time. It also has conventional wheels.
What makes this model special?
The lightweight Alef Model A, weighing around 380 kg (about 838 lb), looks even more delicate thanks to clever design and engineering. Its body is covered with a mesh that lets air pass through and helps keep the vehicle balanced in flight.
The vertical-takeoff-and-landing model has a road range of 322 kilometers and an air range of 177 kilometers without recharging.
On the ground, the vehicle’s speed is limited to 40–50 km/h. That limitation classifies the combined model as an ultra-light “low-speed vehicle” — the same category that includes golf carts.
The Alef Model A includes a security system and a flight-stabilization computer to help stabilize the aircraft during flight.
According to Duchovny, this flying car, designed for the general public, is relatively easy to use. Owners will need only about 15 minutes to learn how to operate it, the Daily Mail reported.
The startup began work on the concept in 2015. The team said it was inspired by Robert Zemeckis’s sci-fi film Back to the Future Part II, in which Marty McFly travels to the future.
On its website, the company wrote, “We provide faster and easier commutes thanks to our patented technology that lifts the vehicle without the need for runways.”
Alef Aeronautics was the first company in the world to receive a flight certificate for the Alef Model A from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The main sponsor of Alef Aeronautics is billionaire investor Tim Draper, who also funded Tesla.
