On 17/10, Alef Aeronautics posted a video of their flying car on X, tagging Elon Musk and Tesla, with the caption "we've been here 11 years." Two days prior, CEO Elon Musk unveiled the Tesla Roadster flying car model, describing it as an "insane performance."

A flying car is a vehicle capable of driving on roads and flying in the sky, distinct from an eVTOL aircraft, which takes off and lands vertically like a helicopter.

The video posted by Alef Aeronautics shows their vehicle flying over an older model Tesla Roadster. Speaking to the electric vehicle specialist Electrek, Jim Dukhovny, the company's chief executive officer, invited Tesla to a flying car race, stating that they had been "alone in this field for the past 11 years."

According to Jim, the introduction of Tesla's flying car line is beneficial for competition. He said, "It demonstrates market viability, forms a distinct industry, and supports policy advocacy efforts."

Additional car manufacturers entering this sector helps attract more investors, promotes technological capability comparisons, and shapes industry-wide standards.

A scene from Alef Aeronautics' vehicle video. *Photo: Electrek*

Jim Dukhovny, chief executive officer, founded Alef Aeronautics in 2015, specializing in flying car production. At that time, Jim, a former Microsoft software engineer, harbored the idea of bringing this futuristic product to life. He met three friends, Constantine Kisly, Pavel Markin, and Oleg Petrov — all highly skilled engineers — at a cafe and together they sketched flying car designs on napkins.

A year later, they successfully built a miniature flying prototype, progressing to develop a full-sized, flight-capable product by 2019. By 2022, they developed the model A vehicle, which flies 177 km on a single charge and is currently priced at nearly USD 300,000. This was also the first car globally to receive government flight certification in 2023.

Alef Aeronautics has received over 3,600 pre-orders, valued at USD 1 billion. Late last year, the company began commercial production of its first flying cars for customer delivery from its Silicon Valley, California facility. The initial batch is expected for delivery by the end of this year. According to the company, these first vehicles will be used for real-world flight testing under controlled conditions.

In 2027, as production scales up, they plan to train and support pioneering flying car operators.

Bao Bao (according to KTLA, Electrek, Alef)