XPENG AEROHT made waves in the automotive and aerospace industries last week with the debut of its modular flying car, the Land Aircraft Carrier.
The innovative vehicle was showcased for the first time in Guangzhou with a live demo of the air module’s flight capabilities.
The Land Aircraft Carrier, as the vehicle has been dubbed, is a curious machine. Coming in at 5.5-metres long, the same size as a standard parking space, it features six-wheels and a boxy profile that conceals the air module, a two-seater drone.
It’s designed to be able to navigate off-road terrain, though just how much capability it’ll have in that area remains to be seen, however the real curio is the air module, which features six-axis, six-propeller technology and is made of lightweight carbon fiber.
Much like a normal drone, it can perform vertical take-offs and low-altitude flights, essentially being a personal helicopter for enjoying scenery from the sky.
Despite housing the flying module, the Land Aircraft Carrier can still accommodate four people in comfort, it just means two will have to stay back at base while the others have fun, while it also serves as a charging module for the flying module.
XPENG AEROHT says that the flying module uses a single-lever control system designed to make piloting simple for those without experience, though you’d have to assume licence to fly will be mandatory for the authorities, especially given that many countries require you to have a licence for flying your personal camera around, but it will also come with autonomous flying modes and obstacle avoidance which should make things a bit easier.
Pre-sales for the Land Aircraft Carrier will begin before the end of the year and the promise is that prices will be below $280,000. At that price, you’d have to expect sales will be very promising given the novelty of the product.
Further public demonstrations will take place at the China Airshow in Zhuhai and the Guangzhou International Auto Show later this year.
XPENG AERO HT dates back to 2013 but was officially established in 2020 after XPENG Chairman He Xiaopeng invested in the fledgling Huitian business. With this announcement, they would appear to be the closest business to launching a viable flying car/personal drone business globally. We’ll do our best to get a closer look at it.
