Will XPeng's $140,000 Electric Flying Car Become the 'Tesla of the Flying Vehicle Industry'?

Urban air mobility (UAM) business AeroHT, owned by XPeng, recently demonstrated the flying capabilities of its luxurious gull-winged two-seater aircraft after hovering around 30 meters (100 feet).

China's Xpeng Aeroht has conducted two of its aircraft's first public flights in recent months. In October, the startup funded by electric-vehicle manufacturer Xpeng Inc. conducted a 90-second exercise near Dubai's Palm Jumeirah island, which was followed by another in Guangzhou, China, as per Bloomberg.

Tesla of the Flying Car Industry

He Xiaopeng, the billionaire founder of the EV company, and other backers are placing a hefty wager that they can navigate regulatory obstacles and take a piece of the $1 trillion market.

According to Xpeng's president, Brian Gu, the flying automobile is getting closer to becoming a reality, so now was the ideal time to contribute.

The "Tesla of the flying car industry" is what investors are looking for, according to Zhang Junyi, a partner at consultancy Oliver Wyman who assisted in the founding of investment firm Nio Capital. But for the market to mature, Wyman said it might take 10 to 15 years.

Aeroht is notable for the prototype that was flown in Guangzhou. The company's sixth-generation eVTOL is an actual automobile that can also be taken on the road, in contrast to many eVTOLs, which lack wheels and cannot be driven on the ground.

The model is intended to be flown only when there are traffic jams or obstructions and to be driven on the road for more than 90% of the time.

The vehicle, which has eight rotors and four electric engines, might enter commercial production as early as 2025, according to founder Zhao.

He estimates that the flying car will cost roughly around 1 million yuan ($140,000).

15,000 Safely Manned Flights

Since its establishment in 2013, AeroHT has accomplished more than 15,000 safely manned flights with the goal of combining automotive and aeronautical technology to produce safe, domestic electric flying cars on a large scale.

In their flight demo video from October, the crew demonstrated how to autonomously drive their most recent eVTOL flying car out of a garage.

Then, after taking off, hovering, and making a brief, careful flight, it returns for what seems to be a smooth landing. AeroHT claims to have tested single-rotor failures as well.

When in driving mode, the manufacturer stated that it is functionally and dimensionally equivalent to any typical car.

"In flight mode, the flying car is piloted using the steering wheel and the right-hand gear lever as controls to move forward and backward, make turns, ascend, hover and descend," XPeng said in a press release statement.

"Subject to laws and regulations for the low-altitude airspace, it can take off and land vertically, and fly over traffic congestion, obstacles, and rivers to meet a new host of short-distance mobility needs."