Flying car race: Alef Aeronautics welcomes Tesla Roadster '11 years' later, but are the two models the same?

Elon Musk lit up the technology and automobile worlds this past week with a demo of a Tesla Roadster performing aerial maneuvers, including a flip, before landing on its wheels. The vehicle used cold-gas thrusters, which is compressed air released through multiple nozzles, along with a suction system that also allowed upside-down driving. Now, Alef Aeronautics has welcomed Tesla to the flying car race. The company’s CEO posted on X that Alef had been “alone” in the race for 11 years since its founding. See the video of the Alef model below. The two companies' models are not the same, though both can leave the ground. They represent different approaches to aerial mobility. Alef, founded in 2015, is developing a dual-purpose vehicle designed for road travel and sustained flight, while Tesla’s Roadster thruster system is intended to deliver short bursts of thrust for performance and stunts. Here is a detailed comparison:

Alef Model A: A car designed to fly

Alef Aeronautics’ Model A is designed for both road driving and vertical take-off and landing (VTOL). Its distributed electric propulsion system uses multiple integrated rotors to generate lift and is designed to transition into forward flight by rotating its body, allowing sustained travel through the air rather than merely jumping off the ground.

The company targets an airborne range of approximately 110 miles and a road range of around 200–220 miles. Its road performance is more modest than that of a conventional sports car, as it is intended to operate as a low-speed vehicle.

Alef has demonstrated flying prototypes and received an experimental Special Airworthiness Certificate from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 2023. The company has begun hand-building early units for limited, controlled testing, with a target price of around $300,000.

Tesla Roadster: A sports car with thrusters

Tesla’s next-generation Roadster is basically a high-performance electric sports car. Certain versions feature cold-gas thrusters that enable short-duration aerial maneuvers, including brief lift-offs and flips, as shown in the recent demo.

The system uses compressed air stored in high-pressure tanks and released through multiple nozzles to generate brief thrust. This is fundamentally different from sustained, controlled flight. Production is targeted for 2028, and details on pricing and availability have not been fully released.

What separates the two?

The central difference is the purpose of flight. Alef is attempting a vehicle that can actually drive on roads as well as function as a small aircraft, with vertical take-off and sustained airborne travel as core features. Tesla’s thrusters, by contrast, enhance a sports car with brief bursts of thrust rather than turning it into a conventional flying vehicle.

Challenges remain in flying car reality

A practical, widely available flying-car market is still years away. Both models face challenges involving safety, regulation, practicality, and public acceptance.

Alef’s approach is closer to the traditional dual-mode flying-car concept, while Tesla’s is an experimental extension of supercar performance.