As a tech startup books more and more reservations, cars may be ascending to the air sooner than most people think.
Alef Aeronautics is developing the $300,000 Model A flying automobile, and the SpaceX-backed Silicon Valley business has received over 2,850 preorders.
The prospective customers have all made the deposits needed to reserve their seats, according to CEO and cofounder Jim Dukhovny, who made the announcement on Monday. Putting your name down costs $150; if you want to be in the priority queue, you may spend $1,500.
With a driving range of 200 miles and a projected flying range of 110 miles, the two-seater is all electric.
According to the company website, owners of this futuristic car would be able to “drive on the street, take off vertically when needed, and fly overhead above traffic.”
Preorders for the Model A opened in October 2022, with delivery scheduled to start in Q4 2025. Alef announced in July that it had received preorders totaling $250 million.
The corporation might see sales of almost $850 million if every one of the 2,850 people who placed reservations for Model As follows through. Alef also mentioned that the company is developing the Model Z, a $35,000 four-seat automobile that will be on sale in 2035, for individuals who do not currently have $300,000 to spend on a flying car.
The Federal Aviation Administration approved the Model A for test flights in July, making it the first flying vehicle.
It was described by Dukhovny as “one small step for planes, one giant step for cars.”