Flying Car Flies Across River in China

Flying car activity is increasing globally, most notably in China, including for air taxis

Chuck Martin, Editorial Director AI & IoT

August 30, 2023

2 Min Read
Xpeng Aeroht's two-seater eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) vehicle
Xpeng

An electric flying car developed by a Chinese automaker subsidiary flew across the Xiang River in Hunan province, China.

The two-seater eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) vehicle is from Xpeng Aeroht, a subsidiary of Xpeng, Inc., believed to be the largest flying car company in Asia, with more than 800 employees.

The flying car, the Xpeng X2, is made of carbon fiber with a fully enclosed cockpit.

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The test flight took off from the west side of the Xiang River and landed close to the building complex comprising the Changsha museum, library and concert hall on the river's east side.

Xpeng Aeroht launched the first public flight demonstration of its electric aerial vehicle (EAV) in Dubai last year.

The company, headquartered in Guangzhou, has raised more than $500 million. 

Flying car activity is increasing globally, most notably in China.

For example, Chinese flying car company EHang Holdings recently completed all the planned tests and flights in the last phase of demonstration and verification of compliance and completed the definitive type certification (TC) flight test.

That was the final milestone before full certification by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), which accepted the company’s TC application in 2021.

Related:Flying Car Takes to the Skies in Dubai

Also in China, Sino Dragon Airlines recently agreed to purchase 100 eVTOL vehicles from the Geely Auto Group. The deal is with Geely company Wofei Changkong and includes an exclusive strategic cooperation agreement between the two companies.

And Shidi Technology in China recently conducted a test flight of an early iteration of its eVTOL frame machine, which was designed to have the same take-off weight, power and system equipment as the full-scale prototype, according to the company.

In addition to flying cars for one or two people, companies in China are developing EAVs for other purposes.

For example, one flying taxi company recently demonstrated the formation of three self-flying EAVs in Shanghai.

The prototype vehicles from AutoFlight took off vertically and flew in formation. The vehicles have flown at different heights and for different durations. Previous test flights have ranged up to 75 miles at a time and up to 42 minutes per flight.

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About the Author

Chuck Martin

Editorial Director AI & IoT

Chuck Martin, author of "Flying Vehicles," New York Times Business Bestselling author and futurist, is Editorial Director at Informa Tech, home of AI Business, IoT World Today and Enter Quantum. Martin has been a leader in emerging digital technologies for more than two decades. He is considered one of the foremost emerging technology experts in the world and his latest book title "Flying Vehicles" (The Emergence of Personal Air Travel, Flying Cars, and Air Taxis) followed "Digital Transformation 3.0" (The New Business-to-Consumer Connections of The Internet of Things).  He hosts a worldwide podcast titled “The Voices of the Internet of Things with Chuck Martin,” where he converses with top executives from the companies driving the adoption of emerging technology.

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