Flying cars were once considered a fantasy. Now, they might be coming to the skies.
What’s happening:
- San Mateo, California based startup Alef Aeronautics has announced they have been seeing a rapidly increasing number of pre-orders for their flagship flying car known as the Model A
- The Model A is capable of driving on regular streets, as well as using propellors to vertically take off and fly in the air
By the numbers:
- Alef Aeronautics currently has approximately 2850 individual pre-orders for the Model A
- Those pre-orders represents roughly $850M USD in future revenues
- The Model A from Alef is expected to cost $300,000 USD
- The Model A consists of 8 propellors and is capable of flying at top speeds of 110 miles per hour
Going deeper:
- Alef Aeronautics previously announced they received regulatory approval from the FAA for their flying car to take off in select locations in the United States as part of further research and development
- The FAA granted Alef Aeronautics a Special Airworthiness Certificate which allows them to operate in the air
- Alef Aeronautics has a number of notable backers, including SpaceX and legendary Silicon Valley venture capitalist Tim Draper
The intrigue:
- If Alef fulfils all their current pre-orders, it would make the Model A the single best selling aircraft to ever launch and surpass initial launches from Boeing, Airbus and others
