ALEF - Flying Car: Pioneering The Future Of Urban Mobility

ALEF flying car in full motion flight after vertical lift-off from a driving surface. No airports required with an electric-powered platform that drives like a car and flies like an Osprey aircraft. Image Credit: Alef Aeronautics (2024)

ALEF - Flying Car: Pioneering The Future Of Urban Mobility

Designed for seamless street driving, vertical takeoff when needed, and flight above congested roadways, Alef is developing an innovative solution to modern traffic challenges.

With industry-leading software and built-in redundancies, Alef aims to deliver a safe and affordable vehicle that redefines everyday commutes. Utilizing proprietary technology, the company enables faster and more efficient travel without the need for traditional runways.

Why drive a busy, traffic signal controlled urban grid when one could simply launch straight up from the street bed and angle the platform to fly above it all until the destination is reached. Image Credit: ALEF Aeronautics (2025)

The vision for Alef began in 2015 when four technical innovators - Dr. Constantine Kisly, Pavel Markin, Oleg Petrov, and Jim Dukhovny - gathered at Coupa Cafe in Palo Alto. What started as a simple sketch on a napkin quickly evolved into an ambitious endeavor to create the world’s first true flying car. However, the initial estimate of six months to build the prototype proved to be a significant understatement.

An interesting platform whose biggest tell that this "car" is designed to be doing something else completely different than just drive is the top surface of the car. A cris-cross grid of vanes allow for air to be sucked in and forced to the ground, lifting the platform as if it were a drone. Once elevated above the street and buildings, the driver/pilot can rotate both the passenger capsule and the body platform so that this car/platform can move quickly in a more horizontal fashion for quick destination arrival. Image Credit: ALEF Aeronautics (2025)

To bring the design to life, Alef enlisted renowned Swedish automotive designer Hirash Razaghi, known for his work on Bugatti and Jaguar vehicles. His expertise helped shape a modern, sporty aesthetic that blended both form and function.

In 2022, the company officially rebranded as “Alef” and launched its public-facing website, unveiling a clear mission and vision for the future of consumer transportation. The name "Alef" - derived from the first letter of the Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew, Arabic, Persian, and Syrian alphabets - symbolizes the company’s aspiration to lead the industry and redefine personal mobility.

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Alef’s innovation is guided by three core principles: the vehicle must function as a real car, capable of driving on standard roads and parking in regular spaces; it must have vertical takeoff capabilities, distinguishing it as a true flying car; and it must remain affordable, ensuring accessibility beyond just the wealthiest consumers.

By integrating cutting-edge technology with a revolutionary design, Alef is setting the stage for the next era of transportation - where the sky is no longer the limit.

... notes from The EDJE

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TAGS: ALEF Aeronautics, ALEF, Flying Car, EV, VTOL, Osprey, horizontal flight, The EDJE

Hybrid Solution Employs Spinner For Self-Charging/Plug-In EV!

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Hybrid Solution Employs Spinner For Self-Charging/Plug-In EV!

Fidget Spinners were all the rage back at the beginning of 2017 after being perfected in metal during 2014 by Scott McCoskery to entertain himself in lengthy IT meetings. These are not the spinners referenced for use in self-charging mobility solutions.

What we are witnessing is the reemergence of the Mazda power unit that utilizes a rounded triangle shaped rotor, as opposed to a piston in a stationary cylinder, to deliver motion power through the 4 cycles of the development exchange through the burning of a combustible fuel mixed with air. 

The rotary enhanced hybrid produced by Mazda includes special badging and branding. Mazda, through the introduction of the rotary hybrid MX-30 R-EV, is offering a few special color combinations, and there's a trim level called the Edition R that plays up the rotary theme with embroidered logos inside for the floor mats and seats (pictured above).  Image Credit: MAZDA MOTOR EUROPE (2023)

Rotary engines are known for their simplicity and their tremendous power output relative to their size and this is why it made sense to reimagine the use of rotary power to create electricity upon which and electric engine powered mobility platform can move one to their destination.

This excerpted and edited from Car and Driver -

Mazda MX-30 R-EV Brings Back the Rotary, but Not Like You Imagined

The rotary has returned, but this time around, the 0.8-liter single-rotor gasoline engine serves as a generator to charge the battery.

BY JOEY CAPPARELLA - Car and Driver - PUBLISHED: JAN 13, 2023

Mazda has found a unique solution to the MX-30 EV's short driving range, and it involves the company's first rotary engine since the RX-8 sports car. The new Mazda MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV is a plug-in hybrid with a small single-rotary gasoline engine that serves as a generator to charge the battery pack and allow for longer drives.

A single rotary engine delivers a smaller and lighter form factor as an inclusion to any electric powered vehicle looking to apply on-board EV power generation for extended range or just plain additional alternative to finding a power plug. Image Credit: MAZDA (2023)

Mazda reduced the size of the lithium-ion battery pack, as the R-EV has a 17.8 kWh lithium-ion pack compared with the EV version's approximately 32.0-kWh pack. This allows it to go a measly 53 miles on a charge per the WLTP. But when the battery is depleted, the 830-cc 74-hp rotary engine kicks in to supply charge while on the move. The Mazda's 13-gallon fuel tank is larger than other such "range-extender" setups including the BMW i3 and Chevy Volt, but Mazda hasn't provided a longer range estimate that includes the gasoline engine's range boost.

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The R-EV's electric motor is also more powerful than the EV version's, providing 167 horsepower to the front wheels. Mazda claims it will get to 62 mph in 9.1 seconds, which would be roughly equivalent to the already sluggish EV version's acceleration. The 3674-pound MX-30 EV got to 60 mph in 8.7 seconds in our testing, and the R-EV's extra 24 horsepower would likely be offset by the extra weight of the rotary, as the claimed curb weight is 3920 pounds.

[Reference Here]

The problem we, at EVHN, are seeing is that this approach, as produced, does not deliver a technological argument as one would wish. For Example - Mazda is unwilling to publish what the extended range that could be expected. 

One source speculates about a total distance of 380 miles and so there is no real argument other than PR for Mazda due to the use of Rotary as opposed to any significant contribution to any overall improvements in "Delta" performance measurements.

That's the spin as witnessed early in the adoption of rotary power for self-charging/extended range solutions in EV mobility this day. 

... notes from The EDJE

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TAGS: Rotary, Hybrid, Self-Charging, EV, Electric Vehicles, MAZDA, R-EV, MX-30, The EDJE