Alef Aeronautics, which is based in San Mateo, California, said preorder numbers recently hit a fresh record after previously reporting 2,500 preorders for its two-seater flying car, the Alef Model A.
Alef is planning to charge customers $300,000 for the Model A when it becomes commercially available — on 2,850 preorders, that would give it a combined order value of more than $850 million to date.
Alef is going for a very different style of vehicle compared with most so-called flying “cars,” as its Model A resembles an actual car, with a mesh shell protecting eight rotors on the inside.
Alef is separately working on a four-person sedan, though, the Model Z, which is scheduled for launch by 2035 at a price of $35,000, matching that of cheaper-priced electric vehicles.
Alef is one of several startups attempting to make flying cars a reality. Others include U.S. company Joby Aviation and Lilium, the Germany-based air taxi startup. Last year, South Korean telecom firm SK Telecom told CNBC it plans to launch a flying taxi service in partnership with Joby Aviation in 2025.
Alef is backed by the likes of early Tesla investor Tim Draper who has also invested in Elon Musk’s space exploration firm SpaceX.
Musk has previously been a notable skeptic of flying cars, having said he doesn’t think they’re a good fix for road traffic.
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