Following in Tesla’s footsteps: A flying car rarely appears alone

Amid the recent buzz surrounding Tesla’s Roadster flight demo, California-based startup Alef Aeronautics sees an opportunity to capture attention. The company released a video of its own flying car almost simultaneously with the Roadster demonstration.

Image: Alef

The short clip shows a prototype from Alef Aeronautics flying over four vehicles before landing again. Among these four vehicles is an older Tesla Roadster. The startup explains, “Alef greets the Tesla Roadster in the race for flying cars by flying over it and other vehicles. This flight marks the 1000th recorded flight of Alef’s flying car.”

It has been known since mid-2023 that Alef Aeronautics is developing an all-electric flying car. The two-seater Model A, envisioned by the company founded in 2015, is supposed to be able to drive on public roads as well as take off and land vertically. According to the manufacturer’s statements at the time, its road range is 200 miles and its flight range is 110 miles, which is equivalent to 320 and 177 kilometers respectively. In 2023, Alef Aeronautics also stated that it had already received a so-called Special Airworthiness Certificate from the U.S. aviation authority FAA for the Model A, allowing for limited flight operations. So far, very few details are known about the flying car itself.

This is something in common with the newly introduced Tesla Roadster. Nine years after the first prototype, not much remains of that original Tesla concept—neither in appearance nor in terms of technology—although the technical specifications were also completely overlooked during the presentation last Thursday in favor of showcasing the car’s flying capabilities. It has little to do with a road-legal vehicle.

One difference, though: while the Tesla’s cold gas pressure air jets enable a rather explosive takeoff, the Alef flying car moves more slowly—resembling more of an oversized drone:

youtube.com via gizmodo.com, interestingengineering.com