Alef Aeronautics Says Tesla Joined Flying-Car Race It Began in 2015; Both Plan High-Priced Models
Why It MattersTesla's entry puts a mainstream automaker's brand behind roadable flying cars, a separate niche from the eVTOL air-transit systems that Joby and Archer are building.
Alef Aeronautics, a startup that has been building flying cars since 2015, posted a video two days before Tesla's Roadster demonstration showing a test model hovering over a Tesla Cybertruck and an early-generation Roadster. CEO Jim Dukhovny said the company has logged about 1,000 flights and that it planned the video response about a month before the Roadster demo, after reports suggested Tesla might debut a flying car.
Tesla said its Roadster will start production in 2028, but the version with a "full flight system" will be invite-only. Alef hopes to deliver its first car by next year and expects it to cost $300,000, with a $150 preorder deposit. Tesla's website does not show the full Roadster price; it states that the Roadster with "acceleration thrusters" requires a $250,000 deposit. Dukhovny said he cannot afford one himself at present, and that at automotive-scale mass production the price should fall below $25,000.
Dukhovny said flying cars can take off and land only at permitted locations, not on city streets such as San Francisco's Market Street, though dedicated heliports would not need to be built. He imagines early use cases among people in remote areas, such as mountainous terrain or places with underdeveloped roads, framing it as a cost- and time-saving measure for the wealthy.
Alexandre Bayen, a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of California, Berkeley who studies advanced transportation systems, said the technology itself is not the challenge; building a reliable transit system around it is. Citing regulation, infrastructure and public acceptance, he said flying-car travel in dense urban areas is likely generations away and that treating it as near-term mass transit is "absolutely unrealistic." He said it could serve as an elite shortcut commute over water or obstacles for those who can afford it.
Joby Aircraft and Archer Aviation are building air transit systems with eVTOLs, which are similar to helicopters but quieter and electric. Dukhovny stressed that flying cars differ because they can also drive on roads. A Tesla spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
