The aerial auto Alef Aeronautics is working on in a San Mateo warehouse is a glimpse of what could be the future of transportation. The company just received federal approval to test its vehicle in Silicon Valley and fly its latest prototype for a public exhibition.
Alef's engineering team envisions its first model will speed through the sky at 200 miles per hour, have a flying range of 110 miles per charge and a road range of 200 miles.The Alef prototype is made of carbon fiber and Kevlar. Electric motors powered by lithium batteries spin 8 propellers. "We call it the perfect storm. The technologies were more or less available and known in scientific labs but now they're available for production," Kisly said.
"We're seeing prototypes out there that have the ability of carrying people safely but we're pretty far away from seeing sustainable business models," Riggs said.Alef's biggest backer, venture capitalist Tim Drape -- an early investor in Tesla, SpaceX and Cruise -- believes in the product.