San Mateo, California — December 2025
It started with a sketch on a napkin, a love of Back to the Future, and four engineers who refused to believe the flying car was just a Hollywood fantasy. Now, Alef Aeronautics has done what every childhood dream demanded: it has begun hand-building the first street-legal, fully electric flying car that actually flies — and it’s called the Model A.
On December 9, 2025, Alef quietly began production at its San Mateo, California facility. No fanfare, no ticker-tape parade. Just the first units of a machine that will park in a standard garage, drive on regular roads, and — when the moment calls for it — lift vertically off the ground, rotate its chassis 90 degrees, and fly.
How It Works
The Model A is unlike anything that has come before it. On the ground, it looks like a sleek two-seat sports car. In the air, it becomes something altogether different: the cabin stays level on a gimbal system while the carbon-fibre mesh body rotates sideways, deploying eight internal rotor blades that provide vertical lift. The result — described by Alef’s CEO Jim Dukhovny as “like a biplane, with a top wing and a bottom wing” — is aerodynamically efficient and extraordinarily battery-conscious.
The numbers are real: an 85 kWh battery provides up to 200 miles (322 km) of road range and 110 miles (177 km) of flight range. Top air speed reaches 110 mph. Top road speed is capped at 25 mph, as Alef has positioned the vehicle as a low-speed vehicle to sidestep full federal automotive crash-test certification — a pragmatic move that keeps the path to your driveway clear while the skies open up.
Take-off requires no runway. Park, activate, and ascend. Land in a standard parking space. It is not a concept. It is not a render. It is being built, by hand, right now.
The Regulatory Breakthrough
In June 2023, Alef made history when the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a Limited Special Airworthiness Certificate to the Model A — the first time in US history that a roadable eVTOL vehicle has received legal approval to fly from the American government. The certification currently covers exhibition, research and development flights, with full public airspace approval following the certification roadmap Alef is actively pursuing.
“We’re excited to receive this certification from the FAA,” said CEO Dukhovny. “It allows us to move closer to bringing people an environmentally friendly and faster commute, saving individuals and companies hours each week.”
Over 3,500 pre-orders have already been placed at $300,000 each. Broader customer deliveries are expected to begin during 2026, initially focused on California-based pre-order holders.
The Vision Beyond the Model A
Alef’s ambitions don’t stop with a two-seater. The company has already outlined the Model Z — a four-to-six seat family version — targeting a $35,000 price point and a 2030 launch window. If that projection holds, what begins as a $300,000 luxury statement piece for early adopters could become, within a decade, the most disruptive vehicle category since the automobile itself.
Backed by investors including Draper Associates — early backers of Tesla and SpaceX — Alef is not chasing a dream. It is executing one.
The flying car is no longer a punchline. It is a production vehicle. And its name is Model A.
The Alef Aeronautics Model A is priced from $299,999 USD. Pre-orders remain open at alef.aero. Initial US deliveries targeted for 2026, with European availability subject to EASA approval.