A $300,000 flying car backed by SpaceX that aims to hit the air in 2025 has 2,850 back orders, the New York Post reported.
Alef Aeronautics’ 850-pound, two-seat electric vehicle takeoff and landing vehicle (eVTOL) can fly 110 miles per hour in the air and 35 mph on the ground, with a flight range of 100 miles and a driving range of 200 miles.
Alef CEO Jim Dukhovny expects regulatory approval from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for what he calls the “first flying car in history.”
The FAA is currently exploring how flying cars and air taxis could safely operate in cities. One possibility is to create corridors between vertiports in city centers and airports.
Alef, a Silicon Valley startup, says pre-orders for its Model A flying car have surpassed $850 million.
Other flying car eVTOL prototypes look more like flying drones and cannot travel on the ground. Alef’s Model A’s driver’s and passenger’s cockpit seat turns horizontally once it takes off from the ground, and the sides of the car operate propellers.
Dukhovny says Alef is working on a lower-end version, a Model Z, that will sell for just $35,000, and have a flight range of 200 miles and a driving range of 400 miles.
“This is not more complicated than a Toyota Corolla,” Dukhovny says. “Our goal is to make sure it has the same price point.”