A newcomer to the highly competitive flying car market, Alef has just presented a model that stands out from the crowd. After a vertical takeoff, it pivots and uses the sides as wings, while keeping its car shape.
Competition is fierce in the flying car industry, with many solutions involving a transformation of the device. Wings or rotors unfold, and the car becomes a small plane, helicopter or quadcopter.
The manufacturer Alef has just unveiled its first prototype called Model A. It stands out because it retains its car form in the air. The Model A is an electric vehicle with vertical take-off and landing (adav or eVTOL). Alef Aeronautics, founded in 2015 and based in Santa Clara, California is a sustainable electric transportation company designing and developing a road-legal passenger car capable of achieving vertical takeoff and forward flight.
It therefore does not require any special infrastructure to be able to take off, and it is also designed to be able to be driven on the road and parked in a standard parking space, unlike most of its rivals.
Expected deliveries for 2025
The body of the vehicle is equipped with eight discreet rotors and covered by a mesh that lets the air pass through. It has four wheels for the road and a cabin for two people in the middle. For take-off, all he has to do is activate his rotors, without the slightest transformation.
However, the big peculiarity of this model is what happens after: the device turns to the side, and the cabin swivels to remain upright and turns 90 degrees to face the front. The sides of the car then serve as wings for much more efficient flight.
According to Alef, the Model A thus achieves a range of 177 kilometers in the air, or 320 kilometers on the ground. Those interested can already pre-order the device for $300,000 with delivery expected in late 2025.
The firm has also announced that it is working on a second model, four-seater, with a range of nearly 500 kilometers. It will be offered at $35,000… in 2035. Until then, the competition has plenty of time to prepare the response.
