California-based startup Alef Aeronautics has begun production of its Model A Ultralight, marking a major milestone in the long-promised era of flying cars. The company claims this will be the first true drive-and-fly vehicle delivered to customers, capable of both road travel and vertical take-off from city streets.
Alef said the Model A Ultralight will take several months to build and will initially be delivered to a limited number of early customers under highly controlled conditions. These customers will be selected from a priority queue of investors with the highest deposits, enabling Alef to test flying car operations in real-world environments.
The strategy mirrors earlier approaches by eVTOL pioneers such as Pivotal, which placed its Blackfly prototype with select users before launching broader commercial sales.
How the Model A Ultralight Works
The Model A Ultralight features vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capability powered by eight propellers embedded in a protective mesh structure around the driver’s seat. Once airborne, the vehicle undergoes a dramatic transformation: its sides rotate to become wings, while the driver’s seat pivots to form a cockpit-facing orientation.
Unlike traditional aircraft, the vehicle is designed to take off directly from roads, allowing occupants to bypass traffic congestion by flying over it.
Alef believes real-world testing of these complex systems will accelerate development of its flagship Model A, which the company plans to sell for approximately $300,000. The ultralight variant features reduced weight and mechanical changes to qualify under the FAA’s Part 103 ultralight regulations. Alef will also provide pilot training, maintenance, and regulatory compliance support to early users.
Certification Challenges and Regulatory Path
Certifying a flying car remains a significant challenge. The Model A, publicly unveiled in 2023 by CEO Jim Dukhovny, is designed to carry a driver-pilot and one passenger, offering an estimated 200-mile road range and 110 miles of flight range.
Initially, the vehicle is expected to be certified as a low-speed vehicle, limiting road speeds to around 25 mph. However, Alef is also exploring Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA) certification under the FAA’s evolving MOSAIC framework, which could unlock broader operational flexibility.
While Dukhovny has stated that prototypes have been flying for years, Alef has yet to release footage showing a full transition from driving to flight—one of the key capabilities regulators will closely scrutinize.
Manufacturing, Testing, and Future Plans
Production of the Model A Ultralight will combine robotic and industrial manufacturing with extensive hand-assembly at Alef’s Silicon Valley facility. Each vehicle will undergo rigorous component-level and full-aircraft flight testing before delivery, helping Alef optimise manufacturing processes ahead of scaled production.
Parallel testing continues with the Model Zero Ultralight, an experimental prototype weighing about 250 pounds. It can be flown with a pilot or operated remotely, featuring real-time telemetry, a propulsion kill switch, autonomous fail-safe systems, and a backup glider mode for emergencies.
Earlier this year, Alef drew global attention after releasing videos of the Model Zero flying over California streets—what the company described as the first documented vertical take-off of a car from a public road.
Alef has since signed flight testing agreements with Half Moon Bay and Hollister Municipal airports in California, locations that could eventually support flying car fleets. Future tests will demonstrate driving, VTOL, and flight operations while integrating AI-based obstacle detection and visual observers to ensure safe coexistence with conventional air traffic.
