Santa Clara startup Alef' s unveiled a flying car that actually looks like it could do both Technology - Automotive HEAD TOPICS

Santa Clara startup Alef' s unveiled a flying car that actually looks like it could do both

10/22/2022 8:00:00 AM

A Silicon Valley startup showed off a flying car prototype that actually looks like both a roadworthy vehicle

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San Francisco Business Times

A Silicon Valley startup showed off a flying car prototype that actually looks like both a roadworthy vehicle A Silicon Valley startup showed off a flying car prototype that actually looks like both a roadworthy vehicle Alef AeronauticsAlef designed the Model A to travel up to 200 miles on the road or 100 miles in the air on a single charge. It's been testing its flying-car concept since 2018 with a tank-like prototype dubbed the Alef Zero.Although the Model A is in the same class of aircraft as air taxis, in that it will also be an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle, it's radically different in design and use, Dukhovny said. It doesn't look like an oversized drone for one thing. Unlike many of the air taxi companies, which plan to either operate their aircraft themselves or sell them to commercial operators, Alef plans to sell its vehicles to the public. Read more:
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These companies have moved their HQ out of the Bay Area - Silicon Valley Business JournalBay Area business leaders seeking the end of the steady flow of companies moving their headquarters out of California may have to wait. Electric car sales in California break another record - Silicon Valley Business JournalIf you think you’re seeing a lot more Tesla cars on the roads, you're right, as electric car sales in California are at record levels, and the automaker accounts for more than half of those being sold. Electric car sales in California break another record - Silicon Valley Business JournalIf you think you’re seeing a lot more Tesla cars on the roads, you're right, as electric car sales in California are at record levels, and the automaker accounts for more than half of those being sold. Venture capitalist Tim Draper, one of Tesla's first investors, is also an early backer of Alef.proposed acquisition of a virtual reality startup known as Within Unlimited.October 20, 2022 at 2:52 p.loans topped $2. Alef Aeronautics Alef designed the Model A to travel up to 200 miles on the road or 100 miles in the air on a single charge. It's been testing its flying-car concept since 2018 with a tank-like prototype dubbed the Alef Zero. In issuing its decision, the UK’s competition regulator said Meta’s Giphy acquisition risked eliminating a competitor in digital advertising and cutting off third-party access to Giphy’s GIFs. Although the Model A is in the same class of aircraft as air taxis, in that it will also be an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle, it's radically different in design and use, Dukhovny said.m. It doesn't look like an oversized drone for one thing. Even when Meta’s deal was first announced, it was widely regarded as a headscratcher and not an obvious threat to competition, according to Adam Kovacevich, CEO of the Chamber of Progress, an industry advocacy group funded partly by Meta. Unlike many of the air taxi companies, which plan to either operate their aircraft themselves or sell them to commercial operators, Alef plans to sell its vehicles to the public.1 trillion in CRE loans. Also unlike air taxis, the Model A still can function even when weather conditions don't permit flying, because it can be driven, Dukhovny said. Paul Gallant, an industry analyst at Cowen Inc. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s travels usually take him to all corners of the globe, but this week he made the rounds in Silicon Valley. And Alef's vehicle won't be restricted to taking off and landing at special facilities, also known as vertiports, he said. Because of its size and shape, it will be able to takeoff or land anywhere. “Successfully blocking this deal will catch the eyes of the biggest tech companies in the world,” Gallant said. Indeed, drivers could take advantage of its flying capabilities to navigate over traffic accidents or obstructions. One of the technologists at the lab even gave Blinken the perfect souvenir to take back to Washington, D. "Comparing us to other flying car companies is like comparing a flashlight and a Tesla," Dukhovny said.” In many ways, the UK’s success in rolling back the Giphy merger reflects the cooperation and consensus that has emerged among antitrust agencies around the world, said William Kovacic, former chairman of the Federal Trade Commission and a law professor at George Washington University. Typically, regulators have stamped CRE-heavy banks in two ways — when construction and land development loans exceed 100 percent of the risk-based capital (RBC), and when the overall CRE (that includes construction, land, industrial, retail, office and others) to RBC ratio exceeds 300 percent and the three-year CRE growth is above 50 percent. Don't expect to see any Model A's flying around anytime soon, though. Alef still has questions to answer Alef is still in the early stages of developing the vehicle. “It gives you the ability to resist the argument that you are a rogue agency or a rogue jurisdiction,” Kovacic said. Peggy Marcucci, Applied’s senior director of corporate communications, joked to the surprised diplomat, “Don’t worry, in this state it’s only worth about 50 cents so it’s well under the federal gift limit. It doesn't expect to begin producing the Model A until 2025. Before the vehicle can be flown by the general public, it will have to be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration in the same process the air taxi aircraft will have to undergo.” Related Articles. Owners and operators who want to take their Model A up in the air may need to have a pilot's license in addition to a driver's license. The rest of Blinken’s trip included a stop at Stanford University, where he had an on-stage conversation at the Hoover Institution with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and also toured the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, where he was joined by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Office, hotel and retail sectors likely will face the most severe headwinds in the next couple of quarters, but deals will get done – especially if real estate developers can show they have most of the new building leased out. "We are in discussions about that, and I hope a pilot's license will only be needed if owners do more than use the vehicle to hop over traffic and obstacles," Dukhovney said."But we shall see." One other challenge for the company: It will need to raise a lot more capital to have enough money to last through the certification process and to begin production, Dukhovney. And while that’s a family-friendly production, there’s a new draw for grown-ups, too: On Friday nights (Oct. He declined to disclose how much Alef has raised to date from venture investors but said the company would disclose more at a future date. Even with so many questions remaining to be answered, Alef has already begun taking pre-orders for the Model A , asking for a deposit of either $150 or $1,500. And the ever-prevalent dance between banks and regulators has begun. Those who pay the larger amount will be at the front of the line to get a vehicle. The light show runs 5:30 to 8 p. One person who wishes he already had Alef's flying car is Tim Draper. At the startup's unveiling of the Model A on Wednesday at the venture capitalist's Draper University in San Mateo, Draper, one of Alef's early backers, recounted his experience of getting to the event. After being stopped in traffic on California State Route 92 for more than 20 minutes, Draper drove his Tesla off the road to a nearby exit, he said. On Sundays, families can take part in crafts and other activities while trick-or-treating at History Park’s historic homes and replica buildings from 2:30 to 5:30 p. "The whole time I was thinking, Alef, Alef, Alef: I wish I had one of them right now so that I could hop over this mess," Draper said. 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