The flying car has arrived! Or so an EV startup wants you to think. Videos released by Alef Aeronautics of its “Model A” soaring into the sky and over SUVs have, as one would expect, gone viral. International news agencies and influencers alike are in awe and wonder, but no one is calling Alef’s flying car for what it really is: a massive drone on a gimbal.
For its part, Alef has appeared more than happy to spread the good news. Its press kit is easy to find, and CEO Jim Dukhovny has been a prolific figure on the media circuit. However, actual specs of the vehicle are scant and vague.
Alef says the electric Model A is a low-speed vehicle (LSV) that will have “legal speed and other limitations in most states” but has a driving range of 200 miles and a flight range of 110 miles. Are those ranges concurrently or exclusively? What’s the powertrain? How long does it take to charge? What’s the top speed on the ground? In the air? And what about safety? *shrug*
BBC News reports that the reason for Alef’s secrecy on some things—a lot of things, really—is to safeguard its technology. “The company isn’t revealing much in a bid to protect its intellectual property,” said Chris Vallance, BBC News senior technology reporter.
What has been shared by Alef are fancy distinctions. Like, the Model A is the “first true ‘flying car’ by definition of being a car with a vertical takeoff.” The quotes around flying car is Alef’s, by the way. The Model A is also the first “car” with an FAA Special Airworthiness Certificate. The company says the difference between its vehicle and an eVTOL is that the Model A doesn’t need an airport for operation and can be driven.
Based on the fact sheet verbiage and other aircraft/vehicle comparisons, I feel like this is just Alef telling us the Model A is an eVTOL without flat-out saying it. In CGI simulation videos, the Model A is shown as part of a futuristic skyline with cars flying along an unseen highway in a single file.
Other video renderings show the Model A transitioning from a car position into biplane mode as it flawlessly flies between mountains or takes flight from a hilltop parking lot toward the city. The gimbal-designed cockpit rotates as needed, like a TIE fighter but decidedly less cool. It’s all fantastic like Star Wars, as in unbelievable.
In real life, the Model A takes off slowly and shakily. You know, like a drone being operated by a first-time owner. The sound the Alef makes is also neither car nor airplane-like. Thanks to those multiple propellers (eight, if the CGI stuff is to be believed), the Model A sounds like a swarm of bees being chased by a weed wacker.
About that flight, it was a premade video package distributed by Alef. BBC News‘ Vallance said, “We also didn’t get to see the car perform some of the more complex maneuvers it needs for efficient flight.” NBC News had a similar experience. Although offered an exclusive view of a live test flight, reporter Steve Patterson said his team had to watch from “half a football field away” (0:47 mark). No one saw a driver-pilot enter or exit the cockpit, either.
There is no info about the cockpit space, but a publicly available image shows two seats. However, other artwork floating around suggests an occupancy of one. If that’s the case, the flying car doesn’t sound very utilitarian. Is there even room for groceries or, I don’t know, a backpack? What about safety features? “The safety of the actual vehicle is good enough for consumers,” Dukhovny told BBC News.
More than 3,200 people have reportedly pre-ordered the $299,999 Model A. Pre-order deposits cost as little as $150 and are fully refundable. Nevertheless, Dukhovny said Model A production is slated to begin either at the end of the year or in early 2026.