$300,000 Alef Flying Electric Car Takes Flight Over Public Road for First Time

Since 2015, American startup Alef Aeronautics has been developing an electric car with vertical takeoff and landing capabilities, which at the same time allows two people to move along the road in conditions close to other vehicles. The company recently demonstrated how its first-born Model A flies around another car parked on a California road.

Image and video source: Alef Aeronautics

This startup already has a certificate from the American FAA, allowing it to test the flying electric car and even operate it. Model A can travel about 350 km on the road without recharging, and its air routes can be up to 176 km long.

In a new video, the Alef Model A “flys” around a Lexus SUV parked on a stretch of public road in California, literally flying over it and landing on the road after this improvised obstacle. From the outside, it looks somewhat unrealistic, but the swaying body of the flying electric car and the clouds of dust it raises suggest that such a flight actually took place in reality.

The Model A is said to be fully electric, but if someone is not satisfied with its range and flight radius, the manufacturer may provide a modification with a hydrogen power plant in the future. The electric version will be available for $300,000, and orders are already being accepted. Potential buyers who want to languish in the general queue must pay $150 in advance, and if you want to get the fancy vehicle faster, you need to pay $1,500 for a place in a shorter queue. According to Alef, the brand’s firstborn has already collected 3,300 pre-orders.

The Model A will be released before the end of this year, and Alef is already developing a more affordable $35,000 Model Z flying electric car, but it won’t be announced until 2035. During that time, much could change for the project and the company itself.