There hasn’t been a commuter in modern history who didn’t wish to fly their way away from traffic, and if a Silicon Valley startup has its way, that dream will go from Back to the Future to the present.
In fact, Alef Aeronautics reports 2,850 people have already preordered the SpaceX-backed company’s said-to-be $300,000 Model A.
Unlike Henry Ford‘s car of the same name, this Model A “can take off in the air vertically,” its website promises, and “can fly forward above the obstacles until a desired destination is reached.”
And apparently you’ll be able to do it without spilling your latte: “The driver and the cabin are stabilized by a unique gimbaled rotating cabin design,” the company says.
Evidently it’s not just a pipe dream: In June 2023, Alef became the first traditional electric car to receive a limited Special Airworthiness Certificate from the Federal Aviation Authority, clearing the way for testing.
“We’re excited to see such strong initial demand for the Alef flying car,” says Alef CEO Jim Dukhovny of the preorders.
“We’re thankful for the notes of gratitude and inspiration we received with some of the pre-orders. We still have a road to go before starting deliveries, but where we’re going, we don’t need roads,” he said, quoting Back to the Future‘s Doc Brown.
And if $300,000 is too rich for your blood, the company tells CNBC it has plans for a four-person sedan that it hopes will retail at around $35,000 — in 2035.
Until then, you’re on your own in traffic.