The idea could come from a children’s book, the real car looks like something out of a science fiction film: a prototype from China stole the show from all other cars at the CES trade fair in Las Vegas.
The reason for this is the eight propellers that can be extended from the roof of the concept vehicle. And the company’s amazingly simple vision behind it: “We want to build flying cars,” says Wang Tan, co-founder of Xpeng AeroHT.
The goal is to build such cars so cheaply in the future that they will become a mass product. “Anyone who wants to fly should be able to buy a vehicle like this,” says Tan in an interview with WELT. The vision sounds crazy, but there is evidence to suggest that the manager can actually turn it into reality – and faster than the competition from other countries.
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The story of the Chinese flying car sounds like the typical nightmare of Western companies. The white and blue painted prototype is not only a futuristic exhibit, but also contains ten years of technology development.
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“We have built four generations of eVTOL and we have been flying them since the end of 2022,” says Tan. Industry giants Boeing and Airbus as well as other start-ups have been working on such electrically powered aircraft, which can take off vertically and are reminiscent of very large drones, for years. This also includes the two German companies Lilium and Volocopter.
But while virtually all other companies are working on vehicles that can be used as air taxis in the future, Tan doesn’t want to do exactly that. “Flying in the city is not our goal. “It’s very difficult legally and there are some other problems with it,” he says.
The concept car in driving mode: The rotors are then retracted
Source: XPENG AEROHT
“We have a different strategy: We are concerned with the private use of the flying car in the leisure sector.” AeroHT wants to bring the first flying machines onto the market in China next year – albeit in a different form than the flying car shown at the trade fair. Prototype: The “Land Aircraft Carrier” is intended to be a combination of a small electric plane for two people and a huge car. The aircraft is transported in the car with three axles.
The idea of Tan and his colleagues is for their customers to drive the large, off-road car into nature and let the plane drive out of the hold in a remote location. Once the propellers have unfolded, the flight can begin – but only up to a height of 100 meters.
For safety reasons, the device has two parachutes that are intended to bring it to the ground undamaged if more than two of the six propellers fail. The eVOTL’s batteries are charged in the car, which also runs electrically but still has an internal combustion engine on board to achieve sufficient range.
The Land Aircraft Carrier consists of a car and a flight module
Source: XPENG AEROHT
Tan doesn’t want to say how far one battery charge of the plane will last. The exact price has not yet been determined. Overall, the package consisting of both vehicles will cost around $200,000, says Tan. This is surprisingly cheap, as an electric pick-up truck the size of the carrier vehicle alone costs a good $100,000.
The route via the private customer market could possibly turn out to be a shortcut for the introduction of small electric planes. Because projects with larger, more expensive aircraft are making slow progress.
“Flying taxis are even further away than autonomous driving,” says Andreas Form, partner and automotive expert at management consultancy Kearney. “In Germany we have a leading company in this area, Volocopter, but the regulation is very difficult, which slows down a potential market launch.” He expects that air taxis will initially be launched outside of Europe.
The flight module after takeoff. The vehicle module remains on the ground
Source: XPENG AEROHT
Air taxi manufacturers, such as Supernal, a US subsidiary of the Hyundai Group, are also expecting this. The company presented the latest prototype of its aircraft at CES. It is scheduled to fly from 2028 as an air taxi.
Four passengers plus the pilot fit in the cabin and the altitude is 450 meters. However, the device is about the size of a helicopter. Tan sees this size as a disadvantage. “Our eVOTL doesn’t need a parking space because it can be parked in the car,” he says. A normal parking space should also be sufficient for the flying car in the future.
AeroHT is currently building its own factory for the production of small aircraft in Guangzhou. The carrier vehicle is built by the parent company Xpeng. This is an electric car manufacturer that is currently expanding into Europe with its car models.
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Xpeng has become particularly well-known since the Volkswagen Group entered into a cooperation with the young company. The Chinese are supplying VW with their technology platform for several electric models in China.
It will take some time before the concept vehicle shown at the trade fair actually flies. Tan remains vague about the schedule. The company says they have already carried out test flights with vehicles weighing two tons. It seems very unlikely that a Western car manufacturer will catch up on this lead.
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