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XPeng AeroHT eVTOL Flying Car (concept design)

XPeng AeroHT passenger eVTOL Flying Car mock-up at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2024) in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. (Image credit: Sergio Cecutta, SMG Consulting for the Vertical Flight Society)

 

eVTOL Flying Car (concept design)
XPeng AeroHT
Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
www.aeroht.com

With funding from XPeng Motors, XPeng AeroHT was founded in 2020 as one of its subdivisions and is located in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. XPeng AeroHT is in the business of designing and manufacturing electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) passenger aircraft for advanced air mobility (AAM). The company was originally founded as Heitech in 2013 by Zhao Deli in Dongguan, Guangdong, China and was later purchased by XPeng Motors. He Xiaopeng is the Chairman and CEO of XPeng Motors and the Chairman of XPeng AeroHT. Zhao Deli is currently the president of XPeng AeroHT, Wang Tan is the co-founder, vice president and chief designer of XPeng AeroHT and Zheng Congwei is the vice president of XPeng AeroHT.

XPeng Motors was founded in 2014 by He Xiaopeng, Henry Xia and He Tao and is a leading Chinese all-electric vehicle and technology company that designs, develops and manufactures intelligent automobiles that are seamlessly integrated with the Internet and utilize the latest advances in artificial intelligence. The company's headquarters are located in Guangzhou, China.

The company's manufacturing philosophy centers around quality, continuous improvement, flexibility and high operating efficiency. XPeng's goal is to make smart electric vehicles with technology and data, and shape the consumer mobility experience of the future. XPeng went public in the U.S. in August 2020 and has completed a dual-primary listing in Hong Kong.

When Zhao Deli was very young, he always liked electronics, science and had the dream to fly. In 2008, Zhao by chance, saw a group of people flying remote-controlled model aircraft which sparked his interest in flying again. He began to work on, study and learn to make model aircraft, including drones and helicopters and learned how to make them fly.

After making electric drones for several years (including a hybrid-electric drone), Deli started his own company in 2010 to sell drones. The company created five different drone models to manufacture and sell. Then around 2016, Deli read about a hover surfboard from Canada, this information was the catalyst to for him to begin building an eVTOL hoverbike for one passenger.

He started out funding himself with his own money, by selling his home and borrowing money from friends. He then attracted investors to keep his research going. After his drone company went bankrupt, Deli attracted an investment of $2.8 million (USD), all from Chinese venture capitalists and XPeng AeroHT was formed. Before XPeng AeroHT was formed, Deli's two previous and now defunct eVTOL companies were named GroundAero and Heitech Aeronautics & Astronautics.

eVTOL Flying Car passenger ground and air concept design and concept model
XPeng AeroHT has developed what they have named the "eVTOL Flying Car" which is a two passenger ground and air concept design. The vehicle is piloted and might have the option of remote or autonomous piloting. The eVTOL Flying Car is the latest design of several generations of their concept design flying cars. The company has also made a full size concept model for trade show displays. This latest version of their electric flying car looks just like a car and the multicopter housing assembly is completely concealed inside the car. To see how the car changes to flight mode, please see their video here on YouTube.

While most specifications have not been published as of January 2024, the vehicle has eight propellers located on booms. The booms will extend from the multicopter housing assembly when the passengers change the car from driving mode to flight mode. The propellers are stacked, two at a time, at the ends of each of the booms. There are eight electric motors powered by Lithium-ion battery packs (or whatever the best battery technology will be available in the future, such as solid state batteries).

The front windshield is similar to a car but the doors are completely clear to provide excellent views for the pilot and passenger when flying. The car has a very modern design, the company calls their car design a super car, created to accommodate both the passengers, the multicopter propeller assembly and the tires for ground travel. The fuselage's empty weight is 1,000 kg (2,205 lb), providing a high strength to low weight ratio. The ground tires also double as the landing gear.

To fly, the car comes to a stop and from the top rear of the car, a centered rectangular multicopter assembly lifts vertically and then moves slightly forward. Once the multicopter assembly is locked in the up position, four booms at the corners of the rectangle pivot outward. The front two booms are angled forward slightly and the rear two booms are perpendicular to the multicopter housing assembly. The custom multicopter assembly housing has a roof with two vertical large posts at each end of the rectangular assembly. The multicopter assembly is completely automatic. In the cockpit, the steering wheel is telescoped into the dashboard and a joystick is located on the pilot's right side of the seat. The vehicle uses an intelligent cockpit. There is a glass cockpit for the pilot and passenger.

The multicopter assembly has been designed specifically to protect the propellers when in driving mode. The flying car has cameras instead of actual mirrors and the wheels are covered with aerodynamic tire covers. There are no visible door handles. These exterior features were made to reduce drag while flying or driving.

To enhance flying car safety, XPeng AeroHT has developed an emergency multi-parachute ballistic rescue system. The parachute system was successfully tested at just 50 meters altitude in October 2023 and allows ultra-low altitude rescues. The system’s maximum capacity is 1 ton and includes pioneering features like ultra-low altitude parachute opening and an embedded safety rescue control panel. It breaks industry standards by deploying parachutes at 50 meters (164 feet) instead of the usual 200+ meters (656+ feet), ensuring a safer touchdown at approximately 5 meters per second (16 feet per second), protecting passengers and the aircraft.

The company unveiled a full size eVTOL Flying Car concept model during the 1024 Tech Day, that took place on October 24, 2023. It is unknown if the concept model actually flies or not. 1024 is equal to 2 to the 10th power, one of the basic units of measurement for binary counting. The company has also revealed that price of the car in late 2023 is estimated at ¥1,000,000.00 CNY ($137,000.00 USD).

XPeng AeroHT passenger eVTOL Flying Car mock-up, front view, at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2024) in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. (Image credit: Sergio Cecutta, SMG Consulting for the Vertical Flight Society)

XPeng AeroHT passenger eVTOL Flying Car mock-up, front view, at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2024) in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. (Image credit: Sergio Cecutta, SMG Consulting for the Vertical Flight Society)

XPeng AeroHT passenger eVTOL Flying Car mock-up, side view, at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2024) in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. (Image credit: Sergio Cecutta, SMG Consulting for the Vertical Flight Society)

XPeng AeroHT passenger eVTOL Flying Car mock-up, side view, at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2024) in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. (Image credit: Sergio Cecutta, SMG Consulting for the Vertical Flight Society)

XPeng AeroHT passenger eVTOL Flying Car mock-up, interior, at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2024) in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. (Image credit: Sergio Cecutta, SMG Consulting for the Vertical Flight Society)

XPeng AeroHT passenger eVTOL Flying Car mock-up, interior, at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2024) in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. (Image credit: Sergio Cecutta, SMG Consulting for the Vertical Flight Society)

Specifications:

  • Aircraft type: Passenger eVTOL ground and air multicopter aircraft
  • Piloting: Pilot, remote or autonomous
  • Capacity: 2 people
  • Cruise speed (air): Unknown
  • Cruise speed (ground): Unknown
  • Empty weight: 1,000 kg (2,205 lb)
  • Propellers: 8 propellers
  • Electric motors: 8 electric motors
  • Power source: Lithium-ion battery packs
  • Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
  • Windows: Windows similar to a car, the doors are see-through
  • Landing gear: 4 fixed road tires
  • Safety features: Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP), provides safety through redundancy for its passengers and/or cargo. DEP means having multiple propellers (or ducted fans) and motors on the aircraft so if one or more propellers (ducted fans) or motors fail, the other working propellers (or ducted fans) and motors can safely land the aircraft. There are also redundancies of critical components in the sub-systems of the aircraft.

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