Alef Flying car

[Gigi3000]

Alef, supposely backed by Tesla, was approved by the FAA for test flights. Anyone biting and investing?

[villagetinker]

Alef, supposely backed by Tesla, was approved by the FAA for test flights. Anyone biting and investing?

$300k for a flying LOW Speed vehicle with what appears to be no trunk or storage area. This does not appear to be a practical vehicle, a niche vehicle possibly, but I do not see it as a suitable investment.

[Bjeanj]

Noooo. I don’t care for the Tesla’s track record, and investing in a startup like this is beyond my risk threshold.

[Gigi3000]

$300k for a flying LOW Speed vehicle with what appears to be no trunk or storage area. This does not appear to be a practical vehicle, a niche vehicle possibly, but I do not see it as a suitable investment.

I see them being popular in large cities, flying over the traffic jams. When i was working, I dreamed of this type of "vehicle". I believe i read it only goes 25mph, which i really slow. Thanks for the input.

[retiredguy123]

I would never invest in an IPO (initial public offering). Typically, the only investors who make money are those who have insider information, regardless of how successful the product is.

[ThirdOfFive]

Alef, supposely backed by Tesla, was approved by the FAA for test flights. Anyone biting and investing?
These "flying car" ideas and some prototypes have been around since the 1950s. Popular Science and Popular Mechanics magazines seemed to run a lot of stories about them. But to me, and especially today, they seem like a solution in search of a problem. 25 mph. on the ground but a 110 range airborne...on a drone license? These things always seem to appeal to those folks who are non-pilots; people who have little or no idea what is involved in actually piloting an aircraft.

An interesting toy for some, maybe. But little beyond that.

[Stu from NYC]

Its a toy but it can be very dangerous

[WingedFoot78]

Can you imagine what the insurance would cost for one of those things. Also, many people have difficulty in two dimensions.

[golfing eagles]

Can you imagine what the insurance would cost for one of those things. Also, many people have difficulty in two dimensions.

Heck, some drivers in TV have trouble driving in ONE dimension:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

And commercial pilots are worried about bird strikes:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

[NoMo50]

Think about the sheer number of people who prove, daily, that they have no business driving a car or golf cart. Now envision those same people flying. Sounds like an idea that will never get off the ground.

[golfing eagles]

Think about the sheer number of people who prove, daily, that they have no business driving a car or golf cart. Now envision those same people flying. Sounds like an idea that will never get off the ground.

The bigger problem would be if those drivers DO get off the ground :1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

[Blackbird45]

It's a novel idea, but can you imagine them in The Villages, a lot of the people here can't even handle a golf cart.

[retiredguy123]

The OP is asking if this is a good financial investment. The company is being presented as an IPO, initial public offering, which is an attempt to raise capital from average investors to further develop and market the product. I am not an expert on IPOs, but I always steer clear of them as an investment. From my limited experience, a successful IPO stock will typically go way up in price in a short period of time, and then the original investors with inside information, will sell off their stock, make a huge profit, and the stock to go way down. But those with no inside information will be told, by their broker, to hang onto the stock, and they will not know when the best time to sell occurs. The success of this process is mostly determined by the ability of experienced and shrewd stock brokers who are able to dupe average investor clients into buying the stock based on the promise that the product will eventually be a big profit maker. If the product is successful, the company may make a lot of money on it, but that will not happen until years later. So, my advice is to avoid IPOs unless you have real, valuable inside information about the company. If you like the product, wait until the volatile IPO initial process is over.

[Johnsocat]

Flying car that is electric? No thank you.

[Haggar]

I would never invest in an IPO (initial public offering). Typically, the only investors who make money are those who have insider information, regardless of how successful the product is.

If you had invested $10,000 in the IPO for Apple in 1980 those shares would be worth $6,620,000 (and that number might be old). If you invest in 10 IPOs, lose money in 9 and hit in big on 1 - that investing philosophy might work very well.

[Haggar]

Alef, supposely backed by Tesla, was approved by the FAA for test flights. Anyone biting and investing?

Tim Draper - who invested in Tesla and SpaceX - is an investor in ALEF. Tesla has been reported as working on their own flying car.

[Stu from NYC]

Does it come with a parachute?

[djplong]

Tesla has nothing to do with this. A person (Tim Draper of Draper Associates Fund V) who invested early in Tesla and SpaceX also invested in this company.

[Blackbird45]

Flying cars might be the best investment in the world, but it's only for the very young. By the time this become a staple of American life, with the acceptance and all the government regulations, most of us will be long gone.

[retiredguy123]

If you had invested $10,000 in the IPO for Apple in 1980 those shares would be worth $6,620,000 (and that number might be old). If you invest in 10 IPOs, lose money in 9 and hit in big on 1 - that investing philosophy might work very well.
Did you look at the Apple stock history? That stock didn't start to go up until 25 years after the IPO. So, making money on Apple stock had nothing to do with buying the IPO.

[Gigi3000]

Flying cars might be the best investment in the world, but it's only for the very young. By the time this become a staple of American life, with the acceptance and all the government regulations, most of us will be long gone.

Right. I was thinking of getting it for my grandsons to hold for 50 years.

[ThirdOfFive]

There's a saying among private pilots: "if you're in a hurry, drive".

If you've really been bitten by the flying bug, then spending $300,000 on what is basically (at this point, anyway) an unproven experimental aircraft with very limited range is a waste of time and money--especially if you are NOT a licensed pilot you would have little to no idea what you're doing up there anyway. Another $200,000 - $220,000 will get you a pretty respectable used airplane with a low - to mid-time engine and with enough avionics so that if an instrument rating is something you crave, it will fit the bill. Another $15.000 - $20,000 or so for lessons (more, if you're chasing an instrument rating) so that you're not endangering yourself or others whenever you take to the sky and the remainder on a real automobile should set you up just fine.

There are no shortcuts when it comes to flying.

[Stu from NYC]

Thought about buying one but decided I would be safer buying a tank. I have a Sherman on order.

[Bay Kid]

Meet George Jetson!

[Wondering]

Alef, supposely backed by Tesla, was approved by the FAA for test flights. Anyone biting and investing?
Another toy for billionaires!

[Stu from NYC]

Another toy for billionaires!

mega millionaires

[NYMAN]

are you kidding!!! the old people in the villages can't navigate safely with 4 wheels on the groun, I can only imagine what it would be like if they were flying... NO THANKS