This Electric Flying Car Is Supposedly Going on Sale in 2024
The electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle soars above forested wilderness and lands on a mountain in an ambitious video.
Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Xpeng recently made waves by announcing a new roadgoing flying car that’s supposed to hit the streets (and skies) in 2024.
That ambitious timeline came without many details or even a model name. The video above showcases a pre-production model’s ability to drive to the end of an isolated dirt road, unfold two rotors, soar above what looks like Pacific northwestern forested wilderness, and land on a mountain.
It’s an electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) vehicle with style that’s clearly influenced by hypercar elites such as Rimac and Bugatti but only will only $157,000. Hypebeast adds that an environmental perception system will be able to evaluate surroundings and weather, while a flight control algorithm will help pilots avoid obstacles.
A lack of more concrete information may be discouraging, but Xpeng isn’t just a random startup. New Atlas reports that the EV company has generated around $2 billion in revenue this year and shipped 50,000 cars, including the Tesla rivaling P7.
To make the flying car happen, Xpeng is working with affiliate Chinese eVTOL company HT Aero, which recently raised $500 million in a single funding round. But HT Aero’s current X2 eVTOL aircraft is much more rudimentary than what Xpeng is teasing here. An eight-rotor quadcopter design can carry two passengers at speeds up to 80 mph for 35 minutes, and there are no wheels for ground transportation.
“Our next-generation model will be a fully integrated flying vehicle and automobile, designed for both low-altitude air travel and road driving,” said HT Aero founder and president Deli Zhao. “We are planning for an official roll-out in 2024.”
Expect more information on the unnamed Xpeng flying car in the interim.
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