OAN’s James Meyers
2:47 PM -Monday, March 4, 2024
A SpaceX-backed maker of flying cars that carry a price tag of $300,000 said it has a pre-order backlog of 2,850 units.
Alef Aeronautics, which is based in San Mateo, California, said that the pre-orders for its Model-A totaled over $850 million.
Customers can access pre-orders for the Model-A online, however, they have to put down a minimum $150 deposit for the vehicle. Additionally, customers will still be allowed to back out of the deposit at any time at their choosing.
The flying car is around 850 pounds and a two-seat car. It was first unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show last year, and it is considered an electrical vertical takeoff and landing vehicle (eVTOL), capable of reaching up to 110 miles per hour in the air and up to 35 miles per hour on the ground.
“As of today we have a little bit more than 2,850 preorders with deposits down, which makes it the bestselling aircraft in history, more than Boeing, Airbus, Joby Aviation and most of the eVTOLs [electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles] combined,” Alef’s CEO, Jim Dukhovny, told CNBC.
Additionally, in 2023, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted the Model-A a special Airworthiness Certification, which allows the company to fly the car in limited locations. However, it still needs approval from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for it to be legal on the roads.
Meanwhile, Alef is also working to create a four-person Sedan called the “Model-Z” that is scheduled to be launched by 2035 at a price of $35,000. Currently, there are no legal or regulatory provisions governing the routes and trajectories of flying cars within cities.
Alef CEO Jim Dukhovny spoke to CNBC, claiming that he expects to receive approval on what he calls the “first flying car in history.”
“If everything goes right, we plan to … start production of the first one by the end of 2025,” Dukhovny said.
Once the “flying car” lifts off the ground, the cockpit swivels and the carbon-fiber body turns over on its side, then moves forward, driven by an array of propellers.
Alef is estimating a driving range of 200 miles and a flight range of 100 miles.
Dukhovny also stated that despite the high pre-order number from customers, the company will not be able to match that demand straight away.
“It’s crazy how to produce 2,850 vehicles,” Alef’s CEO said. “We’re going to start slow. And when people think that’s a million of those that are going to fly over San Francisco or Barcelona, that’s not going to happen. It’s going to be very slow — one, and then more, and then more,” he added.
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