You no longer believe in flying taxis either? This Californian start-up wants to change our minds. ALEF Aeronautics claims to be on the verge of marketing the first “ real flying car “. Its Model A has already received 3,000 reservations.
Finally a “ true ” flying car ?
A few years ago, many companies promised flying taxis by 2025. Others even hoped that the athletes of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris would be able to travel in the air, aboard an “eVTOL” (electric vertical take-off and landing). Most of the companies that have attempted to deploy such a vehicle have failed. But one of them still plans to market its model.
This is ALEF Aeronautics, a start-up headquartered in the heart of Silicon Valley. In the featured photo of this article, you can see a full-size prototype of the company's Model A parked on a street in California. A few days ago, this concept presented as the first “ real flying car ”, was visible on the Mobile World Congressin Barcelona.
A concept capable of flying and driving
This vehicle promises to move through the air with a range of up to 200 km. And 300 km on the road. Our colleagues from franceinfo spoke with Jim Dukhovny, the company's founder. The man presents the concept: “ imagine a standard car. Remove the engine and trunk. Now you have room. In this empty space, put electric rotors, eight propellers: four at the front, four at the rear “.
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This project differs from the other flying taxi prototypes unveiled so far. The ALEF Aeronautics Model A is capable of flying and driving. And that's a major difference. It is also for this reason that the company speaks of a “ flying car » and not a “ flying taxi » or eVTOL. It turns out that the concept is attractive: 3,000 people have already paid a deposit of 150 dollars to reserve their copy.
In total, the Model A will still cost them $300,000 when it sees the light of day in 2026. But ALEF Aeronautics is already working on another concept, the Model Z. This will not be marketed before 2035, but its price will a priori be much more interesting. The Californian company promises a price of around $35,000. That's almost ten times cheaper. To be continued!