Take a look at the $300,000 electric flying car with a 110-mile range in the air that just got FAA approval for test 


The real reasons we don't have flying cars

Grace Dean
Mon, July 3, 2023 

Alef Aeronautics' Model A in flight.Alef Aeronautics

Alef Aeronautics' electric flying car, its Model A, got FAA approval for test flights.


Alef claims the EV has a driving range of 200 miles and a flight range of 110 miles.


The car will cost $300,000. Mock-up images show what it could be like.

Alef Aeronautics' electric flying car just won federal approval for test flights

Alef Aeronautics' Model A.Alef Aeronautics

The Californian automaker said last week that it had received a Special Airworthiness Certification from the Federal Aviation Administration for its Model A flying car, which it said marked the first time such a vehicle has received legal approval to fly from the US Government.

Because the FAA is currently developing policies for electrical vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles, the certificate limits the locations and purpose for which the car is permitted to fly.

Alef said in a press release in October that it had been test-driving and -flying a full-size prototype since 2019.

Mock-up images released by Alef show what the vehicle could be like.

The car could fly up to 110 miles

The Model A, which is fully electric, has a driving range of 200 miles and a flight range of 110 miles, Alef says. The company claims that the vehicle fits within the existing urban driving and parking infrastructure.

"Designed to drive on the street, take off vertically when needed and fly overhead above traffic, we're building the solution to the issues of modern congestion," Alef says on its website. "We enable faster and easier commutes, driven by proprietary technology that elevates the vehicle without the need for runways."

Alef says that the Model A is a low-speed vehicle. "The assumption is that, if a driver needs a faster route, a driver will use Alef's flight capabilities," the company says.

Occupants are kept 'stable' while in flight

Alef Aeronautics' Model A.Alef Aeronautics

Alef says that the two-seater vehicle's design means that it provides a "smooth, stable ride and flight" and occupants are kept "stable." It comes complete with a full-vehicle ballistic parachute.

Alef hopes to start shipping the car in 2025

Alef Aeronautics' Model A.Alef Aeronautics

The Model A will cost $300,000. It went on pre-sale in October, and buyers can put down a $150 deposit, or a $1,500 deposit to join the priority queue. Alef says that it's received "strong pre-orders" from both individuals and companies.

When pre-sales launched, Alef said it planned to deliver its first vehicles in the last three months of 2025.

It's working on a bigger vehicle, too

Alef Aeronautics' Model A.Alef Aeronautics

Alef says that it's also working on a four-person sedan, the "Model Z," which it said in October was scheduled for introduction in 2035 at $35,000.

The startup's backers include Elon Musk's space exploration company SpaceX.