Flying Car Company Attracts Big Time Tesla Investor

Alef Aeronautics, a flying car company based in California, has caught the attention of prominent investor Tim Draper, reportsReuters. Draper has provided the company with $3 million of seed capital, explaining why to the news agency.

"I put more [money into the company] when I saw that they had created a small drone prototype that did exactly what they told me it would do...the design is extraordinary. The sides of the car become the wings when the plane goes horizontal."

While that sounds like the stuff of a science fiction novel, it's exactly as Alef Aeronautics intended. This sleek-looking electric car, with a driving range of 200 miles, has been designed to function as a conventional motorcar but take to the skies at a moment's notice, where it can travel up to 110 miles.

While the concept ofthe flying car isn't new, Alef's Model A (Alef is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet) stands out from the crowd in one particular way. The vehicle takes off and lands vertically, and features a gimbaled cabin design and elevon system. This provides occupants with a smooth and stable in-air experience.

It may look like a support vehicle from theWacky Racescartoon series, but there's nothing zany about the design. The propellers have been concealed for safety, and the company has fitted the Model A with features such as obstacle detection and avoidance, glide landing capabilities, and even a full-vehicle ballistic parachute.

Of course, there are a number of diagnostic systems, and "triple to octuple" redundancy of key components.