BARCELONA, Spain — Alef Aeronautics, a SpaceX-backed flying car firm, says it has reached 2,850 preorders for its futuristic electrical vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle.
Alef Aeronautics, which is based in San Mateo, California, said preorder numbers recently hit a fresh record after previously reporting 2,500 preorders for its two-seater flying car, the Alef Model A.
Customers can access preorders for the Model A online, and to preorder, you have to put down a $150 deposit for the vehicle. Customers can pull the deposit at any time if they want to, so they’re not locked in.
Alef is planning to charge customers $300,000 for the Model A when it becomes commercially available — so on 2,850 preorders, that would give it a combined order value of over $850 million to date.
“As of today we have a little bit more than 2,850 preorders with deposits down, which makes it the best-selling aircraft in history, more than Boeing, Airbus, Joby Aviation, and most of the eVTOLs [electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles] combined,” Alef’s CEO Jim Dukhovny told CNBC.
At a price of $300,000, Alef is asking its prospective customers to part with a lot of cash. Dukhovny insists the higher price tag is needed as Alef is still a startup and isn’t making any serious money yet.
Alef Aeronautics’ Model A car, which it showed off at Mobile World Congress as a half-size model, resembles an actual car with a mesh shell protecting rotors on the inside that allow air to flow through the vehicle.
David Zorrakino | Europa Press | Getty Images
Alef is separately working on a four-person sedan, though, the Model Z, which is scheduled for launch by 2035 at a price of $35,000, matching that of cheaper-priced electric vehicles.
Alef is one of several startups attempting to make flying cars a reality. Others include Lilium, the Germany-based air taxi startup, as well as Chinese company Joby Aviation. Last year, South Korean telecom firm SKTelecom told CNBC it plans to launch a flying taxi service in partnership with Joby Aviation in 2025.
Alef is backed by the likes early Tesla investor Tim Draper and Elon Musk’s space exploration firm SpaceX.
How does Alef’s car work?
Most of the players on the market currently are building models that resemble a jet and come with wings attached to the sides, or big helicopter-like rotors.
What Alef is going for is a much more different style of vehicle. The company’s Model A car, which it showed off at Mobile World Congress as a half-size model, resembles an actual car with a mesh shell protecting rotors on the inside that allow air to flow through the vehicle.
Dukhovny calls Alef’s vehicle the “first flying car in history.” He says it’s the first because, rather than the massive drone-like designs we’ve seen in vehicles from the likes of Lilium and Joby Aviation, Alef’s looks like an actual car.
“I know that people have claimed the first flying car,” Dukhovny said. “But we always had the idea that it has to be a car, a physical car, a regular car, as you can see it’s an eVTOL, an electric car. a regular car, drive, park, look, everything as a car, and a vertical takeoff.”
Alef’s car is mainly designed to be driven on the road, but will be able to take to the skies, too.
To drive on the road, the car uses four small engines in each of the wheels, and will drive similar to a normal electric car. It has eight propellers in the front and back of the car, which spin independently at different speeds to allow it to fly in any direction.
The Alef Model A has a cruise speed of 110 miles per hour while in the air, while on the road it is limited to between 25 and 35 miles per hour.
Once it lifts off, the Alef Model A can then turn onto its side while the cockpit swivels so that the driver can continue facing forward and the car practically becomes a biplane with the long sides of the vehicles serving as the top and bottom “wings.”
Targeting 2025 launch
The Alef Model A, which weighs 850 pounds, also qualifies as an ultra-light vehicle, meaning it comes under the same legal classification as small electric vehicles like golf carts.
Dukhovny says that should make it easier for the car to pass key regulatory approvals to get the green light to launch flights in 2025.
“If everything goes right, we plan to, and if we have enough funding, if the law is at least not going to be worse, it’s going to be existing as it is, we plan to start production of the first one by the end of 2025.”
Last year, the Federal Aviation Authority granted Alef a special airworthiness certificate, allowing for limited purposes that include exhibition, research, and development of its flying car. Alef still needs to get further approval to pave the way for consumer flights.
However, Dukhovny concedes that, despite the company’s high preorder number, it’s not going to be able to match that demand straight away.
“It’s crazy how to produce 2,850 vehicles,” Alef’s CEO said. “We’re going to start slow. And when people think that’s a million of those that are going to fly over San Francisco or Barcelona, that’s not going to happen. It’s going to be very slow — one, and then more, and then more,” he added.
AI and Crypto Czar David Sacks speaks with President Donald J Trump as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office at the White House on Jan. 23, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Jabin Botsford | The Washington Post | Getty Images
As David Sacks, the newly appointed White House AI and crypto czar, collaborates with lawmakers on potential regulations for digital assets, one of the first things they’ll be focused on is stablecoins.
“They are very committed to moving legislation through the House and the Senate this year in order to provide that clear regulatory framework that the digital assets ecosystem needs to sustain innovation in the United States,” Sacks said on CNBC’s “Closing Bell Over Time” on Tuesday. “Moving legislation through Congress takes time, but I think this is something we could do in the next six months.”
Earlier in the day, Sacks joined leaders of the House and Senate committees for banking and finance for a press conference to talk about their early objectives for crypto policy, with the help of the SEC. It was part of a busy day in Washington for regulators and key players on Capitol Hill and in Trump’s White House to announce next steps in their digital currency plans.
“I look forward to working with each of you in creating a golden age in digital assets,” Sacks said at the press event.
He was flanked by Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), chairman of the Senate Banking committee, Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.), chair of the House Financial Services Committee, and Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.), who heads the Senate Agriculture Committee.
The leaders said their first priority is supporting a stablecoin bill introduced by Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), who has proposed new rules for stablecoins to create a “clear regulatory framework” for their use. Stablecoins are a type of cryptocurrency whose value is pegged to a real-world asset, such as the U.S. dollar.
Stablecoins have been gaining popularity but mostly overseas. Lawmakers are now promoting U.S.-based stablecoin issuance, reinforcing the dollar’s dominance through digital finance. Supporters like Sacks say such a move could drive trillions of dollars in new demand for the dollar and help lower long-term interest rates.
David Sacks, U.S. President Donald Trump’s AI and Crypto Czar, listens to President Trump signs a series of executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on January 23, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images
Sacks on Tuesday told CNBC that a top agenda item for his new task force is evaluating “the feasibility of a bitcoin reserve,” an idea President Donald Trump suggested during his campaign. Sacks noted that the president asked his digital assets working group to study “whether it’s feasible to create either a bitcoin reserve or some sort of digital asset stockpile.” He clarified that they “haven’t committed yet to doing it, but it’s one of the first things” they’ll be considering.
Also on Tuesday, the SEC made a major shift in its approach to digital asset regulation. Under new leadership, the agency announced it would open its doors to meetings with anyone interested in discussing crypto, an effort to show a clear contrast to former SEC Chair Gary Gensler, who emerged as an antagonist to the industry.
SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce, now leading the agency’s newly established Crypto Task Force, published a statement titled The Journey Begins. She said the idea is to create more transparent and predictable regulations, removing legal ambiguity and unnecessary roadblocks.
“The Task Force is working to help create a regulatory framework that both achieves the Commission’s important regulatory objectives — including protecting investors — and preserves industry’s ability to offer products and services,” Peirce wrote.
Priorities include clarifying which crypto assets fall under securities laws, crafting a path for token issuers to gain regulatory approval and ensuring compliance measures don’t stifle innovation. The group will also examine crypto lending, staking, exchange-traded products, and cross-border regulations. Peirce stressed that while the SEC aims to foster industry growth, it will not tolerate fraud.
Tuesday’s press conference was the first major policy event led by Sacks, who was named to the post in December. While he lacks direct control over regulatory agencies or congressional funding, Sacks’ close ties to the White House and Elon Musk have positioned him as a key figure in the administration.
In June, Sacks, previously a Trump critic, hosted a fundraiser at his Pacific Heights mansion that raised $12 million for the Republican leader’s presidential campaign.
Sacks was in Washington, D.C., for the inauguration last month and attended the Crypto Ball, surrounded by industry leaders and policymakers. He declared at the event that, “The war on crypto is over.” During Trump’s first week in office, Sacks stood alongside the president in the Oval Office as he signed an executive order on digital assets.
On today’s episode of Quick Charge, we look at a group of $TSLA shareholders on Reddit who want Elon Musk fired as CEO of Tesla – and they’re using his own public words against him. Plus the new Model Y arrives in US showrooms and FSD users can get a break on insurance.
Plus the Volvo EX30 is ready to drive home today, the Lucid Gravity is taking off, we’ve got VW ID.4 pricing for 2025, and we’ve officially hit a major solar energy milestone five years ahead of schedule.
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Several automakers, including Honda, Hyundai, Ford, and Kia, reported higher EV sales in the US in January. Here’s a look at some of the top-selling EV models (outside of Tesla) last month.
EV sales in the US by model in January 2025
With nearly 133,000 electric vehicles sold in December, EVs accounted for 8.8% of new car sales in the US, a new record.
According to Cox Automotive’s Kelley Blue Book, the strong end-of-year sales helped push total EV sales to 1.3 million in 2024, up 7.3% from 2024.
With Trump reportedly planning to end electric vehicle incentives, like the $7,500 federal tax credit, demand is expected to pick up as buyers look to lock in the savings before they disappear.
Several automakers reported US sales numbers for January, giving us a better idea of how the EV market is playing out.
Ford sold 5,666 EVs last month, up 21% and a new January record. The Mustang Mach-E had its best January with 3,529 models sold, up 173% from January 2024. Last year, the Mach-E was the second best-selling electric SUV behind Tesla’s Model Y. This year, it’s already losing ground.
Despite higher demand for the Mach-E, Ford F-150 Lightning sales slipped 15% to 1,907 units. Ford’s E-Transit electric van sales also fell 80%, with only 230 models sold last month.
Kia sold 1,542 EV6 models sold last month. However, sales of its three-row EV9 were down slightly (1,232 vs 1,408 in January 2023).
Sister company Hyundai notched double-digit sales growth with its popular EV models. As the upgraded 2025 model (with more range and an NACS port for charging at Tesla Superchargers) rolled out, Hyundai IONIQ 5 sales climbed 54%, with 2,250 units sold in January. Although IONIQ 6 sales were up 15% year over year (YOY), only 871 models were sold.
EV model
January 2025 sales
Honda Prologue
3,744
Ford Mustang Mach-E
3,529
Hyundai IONIQ 5
2,250
Ford F-150 Lightning
1,907
Kia EV6
1,542
Kia EV9
1,232
Subaru Solterra
1,052
Hyundai IONIQ 6
871
US electric vehicle sales by model in January 2025
The biggest surprise, again, was Honda. Honda’s electric Prologue continued to take the US by storm with another 3,744 models sold last month.
After delivering the first models last March, the Prologue was the seventh best-selling EV in the US in 2024. Honda sold over 33,000 Prologue’s in the US in 2024, beating out the Chevy Equinox EV (28,874) and Rivian R1S (26,934).
GM doesn’t report monthly US sales numbers, so we’ll have to wait until April for quarterly sales to compare. Several others have yet to report January US sales. Check back for the latest numbers.
Tesla doesn’t report monthly US sales numbers, but earlier today, Electrek reported that the EV maker saw its first annual drop in sales in California last year.
Are you in the market for a new electric vehicle? We can help you get started. You can use our links below to find deals on some of the most popular EVs in your area.
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