Flying car company ‘welcomes Tesla to flying car race’ with tongue-in-cheek video
Flying car company ‘welcomes Tesla to flying car race’ with tongue-in-cheek video
Will Conybeare Sat, October 17, 2026 at 8:27 PM UTC
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Tesla made waves this week by unveiling its flying car – but a firm dedicated to that exact type of tech is joking that Elon Musk and company are late to the party.
Alef Aeronautics is the brainchild of Dr. Constantine Kisly, Pavel Markin, Oleg Petrov and Jim Dukhovny, who teamed up in 2015 to develop the world’s first flying car, according to the Alef website. The brand took the name in 2022 after debuting its public-facing website.
Alef was able to build their first sub-scale prototype by 2016, and two years later, the firm’s first full-size “skeleton” took flight. 2019 saw a full-size prototype take to the skies and by 2021, the firm hired Hirash Razaghi, a Swedish auto exterior and interior designer who worked for Bugatti and Jaguar, to “define the modern, sporty exterior design of the company’s consumer vehicle.”
Alef has been working for 11 years to manufacture a flying car, and there is progress, as evidenced by recent footage posted by the company -- right as Elon Musk introduced the second-generation Tesla Roadster.
One video, which has garnered over 100,000 views on YouTube, is titled “Alef flying car flying over Tesla Roadster and Tesla Cybertruck (not AI, real video)”and shows, well, just that.
(Credit: Alef Aeronautics via Storyful)
(Credit: Alef Aeronautics via Storyful)
(Credit: Alef Aeronautics via Storyful)
(Credit: Alef Aeronautics via Storyful)
The caption of the video elaborates on the title.
“Alef welcomes the Tesla Roadster to the flying car race by flying over it and other cars,” the caption says, adding that the flight being shown in the video is the 1000th such endeavor by an Alef flying car.
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Another video posted by Alef on Friday provides further explanation on the differences between their technology and that of the new Tesla Roadster, which debuted at a live-streamed SpaceX presentation on Thursday.
“There are only two flying cars in the world = drivable car + vertical takeoff,” the video, split-screened to show the Tesla and Alef flights from this month, says.
Now, for the big question: What will a flying car cost, now that the technology is so close to being on the roads -- and in the skies?
This image, taken from video from @VideoFromSpace, shows Tesla unveiling its new Roadster sports car in McGregor, Texas, on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (@VideoFromSpace via AP)
Well, in order to reserve a Tesla Roadster, you must make an immediate, fully refundable payment of $5,000, and then another $45,000 is due within 10 days.
Reservations are not finalized until payment is received, and they are subject to cancellation if payment is not completed within 10 days. Also, refunds for modifications will not be issued.
As for Alef, you can pay $150 to reserve a spot or $1,500 to get into the priority queue; the car's projected price is $299,999.
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Source: “AOL Money”
