Watch the skies! XPeng AeroHT ‘flying car’ has 5,000 pre-orders
Combined car and aircraft has already been licenced to fly in China, with prices from £220,000
The XPeng AeroHT flying car was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in January, and while none have yet been delivered to buyers, the company says it has racked up 5,000 pre-orders – with customers in China each stumping up around 10,000 RMB (roughly £1,000) to join the waiting list.
The set-up includes a two-seat electric vertical take-off aircraft, which electronically unloads from a six-wheeled ‘mothership’ vehicle that has hints of Tesla Cybertruck about its styling. In the Chinese market, the combined price will be in the region of 2 million RMB, which equates to roughly £220,000.
Speaking exclusively with Auto Express from the Munich Motor Show, chief designer Wang Tan said: “Three kinds of people buy this car; first is those who like to go outside, off road – the mothership is six-wheel drive, with a physical differential lock. With this car you can go far away from the city.
“Second is people like me; I want to fly, but it’s very difficult,” he said. “[The AeroHT] takes three to five minutes to learn, it's super easy”. Tan did clarify that you need a “light sport aircraft” licence before being able to fly, however.
“The third is maybe someone who likes innovation, creative products; someone who likes tech. Someone who might buy a robot. Actually, a lot of people, I think they will like this.”
But while XPeng hopes to make its first flight outside of China in Dubai this October, it sounds like it’ll be a while before legislation allows the AeroHT to be sold in Europe: “We hope we can achieve this target”, Tan told us. “But it takes time”.
An XPeng spokesperson reiterated this, saying “global is always in our minds”, so don’t rule out expansion into other countries, especially as XPeng continues to push ahead with its car-sales expansion across the world, including 20 UK dealers by the end of this year.
Despite using a relatively large 50kWh battery, Tan suggested flying time is limited to around 20 minutes – equivalent to “15 to 20 kilometres”, or around nine to 12 miles, with two passengers on board. For safety, the battery must maintain at least 30 per cent state of charge at all times. Likewise, Tan told us the AeroHT can operate with just four of its six propellers, should it suffer any kind of damage or failure.
At 5.5 metres long, two metres wide and two metres tall, XPeng said the four-seat mothership will fit into car parks, and has rear-wheel steering for added manoeuvrability. It also boasts six-wheel drive for getting to more remote launch sites. Power comes from a plug-in hybrid powertrain with over 600 miles of combined petrol and electric range; the vehicle has the means to charge the aircraft while it’s loaded in the back.
Outside of private customers, XPeng said it would look to target emergency services, with potential uses including search and rescue, paramedics and fire response.
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