alef aeronautics’ drivable flying car takes flight for the first time

Debut of Alef Aeronautics’ drivable flying car in the air

Alef Aeronautics’ drivable flying car takes its maiden flight in a city field. The development team has introduced the Alef Model A, the dubbed production version of the drivable flying car that has vertical take-off and landing capabilities. On February 19th, 2025, its test model takes off, even flying over another vehicle. In a LinkedIn post, Alef Aeronautics CEO Jim Dukhovny writes that the video showcasing the flight is ‘the first documented, verifiable flight of a flying car (an actual car, with vertical takeoff, non-tethered).’

The CEO adds that he’s been asked a lot of times why he hasn’t shown a video of Alef Aeronautics’ flying car in the air. He says that as a startup, the team has to protect their Intellectual Property, hence not showing everything publicly. ‘We’re obsessed with safety, and we wanted to make sure the car is safe enough for consumers before we actually show it,’ he writes. Jim Dukhovny shares with his following that he’s open to explaining what has happened in the documented video, where it takes place, and where they’re heading next to anyone who’s interested.

all images courtesy of Alef Aeronautics

No exposed propellers for safety

The Alef Aeronautics flying car conducts its first flight test in a city environment around Santa Mateo, California, in the US. The startup says this is the first publicly released video of a car driving and taking off vertically. For the test, the team closes off the road so no people are under or near the flight path. The area around isn’t also densely populated, and all safety equipment and personnel are on standby. An ultralight version of the Alef Model Zero is used for the flight, and the test is completed without any safety issues.

The first Alef Aeronautics flying car set to be commercialized is the Alef Model A. Since it has the body of a conventional car, owners can park it in spaces and drive it on roads. So far, the team says it has a driving range of 200 miles and a flight range of 110 miles. The vehicle comes with a gimbaled cabin design to keep it stable as it moves through the air as well as an elevon system to control the vertical and horizontal movement of the Alef Aeronautics flying car and its tilting. The team opts out of adding exposed propellers for safety.

the flying car hover above another vehicle during testing

Car with vertical takeoff is 100 percent electric vehicle

At the moment, all the key components on board have triple to octuple redundancy. The vehicle also comes with an obstacle detection and avoidance system, glide landing, and a ballistic parachute. After the test model has taken its first flight, the team continues with flight testing as well as software simulators and analysis before the production can take place. Presently, the Alef Aeronautics flying car is the first vehicle with vertical takeoff to receive FAA permission to fly in the US (FAA Special Airworthiness Certificate). The Alef Aeronautics flying car is a 100 percent electric vehicle. The team says it uses ‘less energy per trip than a Tesla or any other EVs.’

While the Alef Model A is the commercial version, the test model is the Alef Model Zero. It is solely used for research and development in the hopes of becoming the actual Alef Model A. After the Alef Model Zero and Alef Model A, the team plans to develop the Future Alef Model Z. This is a four-person drivable flying sedan. The team sees introducing the upcoming Alef Aeronautics flying car in 2035. They say it can fly 200 miles with a driving range of 400 miles. This version is expected to have autonomous flight capabilities as well, unlike its predecessors. So far, the production of actual Alef Aeronautics flying car has yet to come.

the vehicle takes its maiden flight on February 19th, 2025