Alef Begins Production Of World's First Flying Car
Language
Reading Level
Listen to Article
Alignment
Flying cars have long captured the imagination of engineers and dreamers alike. In 1894, American-British inventor Hiram Maxim brought the idea closer to reality with sketches for a four-wheeled, bird-like vehicle capable of flight. His vision later inspired an amusement park ride. But it was not what he had hoped for. Now, Maxim's dream is finally becoming a reality thanks to California-based startup Alef Aeronautics.
The company’s founders — Jim Dukhovny, Constantine Kisly, Pavel Markin, and Oleg Petrov — first came up with the concept in 2015. Inspired by the 1985 hit movie, Back to the Future, they sketched their ideas on a napkin. From the start, they set clear goals. The vehicle had to be roadworthy, fully electric, and capable of vertical takeoff.
Within a year, the team built a scaled-down version of the car. It was enough to impress investors. Since then, Alef has created two main designs: the flagship Model A and the high-performance Model Z, which is still in development.
On December 9, 2025, Alef began production of its first Model A units at its San Mateo, California, facility. These initial cars are being hand‑built using ultra‑light materials like carbon fiber. They will take several months to complete. Equipped with multiple electric motors and propellers, the car will take off vertically without a runway. Once airborne, it will tilt so the car's body is at a 90-degree angle. This allows the sides to act as wings while the cockpit stays upright.
On roads, the car will be able to travel about 200 miles (321 km), at a top speed of 25 mph (40 km/h). In the air, it will fly roughly 110 miles (177 km) on a single charge, reaching speeds of up to 110 mph (177 km/h).
Once ready, the vehicles will be delivered to a select group of customers for testing and feedback. Even if everything goes according to plan, do not expect to see Alef cars in the skies anytime soon. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has only approved them for demonstration and research flights. Alef still needs to obtain full safety certification for public roads and standard air travel.
But that has not stopped people from lining up. Over 3,500 have already pre-ordered the vehicle at $300,000 each!
Resources: Alef. aero, CNN.com, Designboom.com, mashable.com
Cite Article
Learn Keywords in this Article
11 Comments
- bookwermthebardabout 9 hoursThat is amazing, I'm so excited!
anne0327about 19 hoursOmigosh!!! It's like in Harry Potter (which I 😍), like when Ron and Harry crashed into a tree.
animaldoctor13about 23 hoursWow 😲 thats so cool i can't believe they actually made a car fly that's so cool but I actually really want a cyber truck but that flying car is so cool 😎
852128sophie1 dayI can't believe they actually did it😮 But that costs so much...still, a lot of people are willing to spend money on it!- bookwermthebardabout 8 hoursActually, $300,000 for a flying car isn't that bad, obviously it's a lot of money but considering all the factors its rather cheap for something like this.
asxdcfvghjkl2 daysi swear suner or later we will start flying mid sky
milkfanforever3 dayswow they made billions! (profit not including how much they spend to make car)
dogo23rexx3 daysat $300,000 each!
chocolaterose753 daysImagine how it would be when I get to drive
connorbed3 daysWould love one but so so so expensive
ihavetomuchaura3 daysWow I’m buying one