Orders and refundable deposits don't mean jack shit for something that hasn't been produced fully yet. A lot of people are willing to put money down on a fantasy.

The company has, like, 1 of these prototype (still experimental class) planes. As commented elsewhere here, certification, etc. is a big hurdle. Clearly they're following Tesla's playbook -- but with something much harder to produce.

The press release's lazy language makes it sound like they already achieved these benefits. Wait until even 1 plane is delivered to see.