The SpaceX-backed $300,000 flying car maker announced it has a backlog of 2,850 pre-orders and plans to fly its first prototype as early as next year.
Silicon Valley-based startup Aleph Aeronautics has announced that pre-orders for its Model A have exceeded $850 million.
The 850-pound two-seater vehicle, which was first unveiled at last year’s Detroit Auto Show, is an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle that can reach speeds of 110 mph in the air and up to 35 mph. On the ground.
Customers can pay a fully refundable $150 deposit for the vehicle.
Last year, the Federal Aviation Administration granted the Model A a special airworthiness certificate, allowing it to fly in limited locations.
However, it also needs approval from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration before it can be driven on the road.
There are many unanswered questions surrounding the practical aspects of flying cars for use in cities.
Last April, FAA released a report Titled “Operation Concept: Urban Air Mobility,” the idea was for an “air taxi” to operate within the corridor between the city center and the vertiport built at the airport.
Currently, there are no legal provisions governing the routes and trajectories of flying cars within cities.
Aleph CEO Jim Dukhovny told CNBC that he expects regulatory approval for what he calls “the first flying car.”
“If everything goes well, we plan to start the first production by the end of 2025,” Dukhovny said.
One feature that distinguishes Model A from previous versions of flying cars is the way it flies.
Once lifted off the ground, the cockpit rotates and the carbon fiber body turns sideways and moves forward, driven by an array of propellers.
Most recent attempts by competitors resemble giant drones and cannot move on wheels on the ground.
Aleph estimates it has a range of 200 miles and a flight range of 160 miles.
Dukhovny has an even bigger trick up his sleeve for 2035. It’s a proposed Model Z sedan with a range of 200 miles and a driving range of 400 miles, with an estimated price of $35,000.
“It’s not as complex as a Toyota Corolla,” he said.
“Our goal is to be in the same price range.”
Aleph’s product was considered so promising that in 2022, he received $3 million in seed money from Tim Draper, an early investor in Tesla and SpaceX.
“I put more (funds) into it when I saw that they had created a prototype of a small drone that did exactly what they told me to do,” Draper told Reuters in 2022.
“The design is unique. When the plane is level, the sides of the car become wings.”
with post wire
