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Fly into the sky with a car?
Today, more and more companies are committed to "bringing this dream into reality".
Recently, the flying car of Xiaopeng Huitian made its first public flight, which attracted attention.
Flying cars are a reality! Guangdong's "black technology" makes its first public appearance overseasSkyDive Dubai, a skydiving centre, is Dubai's flying mecca. On October 10, the flying car developed and manufactured in Guangdong became the shining protagonist of this sky.Xpeng Huitian flying car Traveler X2, a subsidiary of Xpeng Motors, soars in the sky and completes its first overseas public flight in Dubai. After receiving a Chartered Flight Permit from the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, X2 chose to complete its first public flight demonstration during the 42nd "GITEX GLOBAL" exhibition in Dubai.With the high-speed rotation of the four sets of propellers around the X2, the X2 is slowly lifted into the air.Xiaopeng X2 flying car makes its first flight
According to reports, Xiaopeng X2 can fly at a low altitude in the future. The X2 adopts a closed cockpit, showing a drop-shaped shape with a sense of technology. In order to achieve lightweight, the entire body of the X2 adopts a carbon fiber structure. It can carry two passengers, which can meet the needs of short-distance travel in the city, and can also serve scenes such as field rescue and medical transportation.As for the price, Xiaopeng previously said that the price of the flying car is "about 1 million yuan".The Qichacha APP shows that Guangzhou Huitian Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd. was established in September 2020 with a registered capital of 10 million yuan. It is worth noting that the company experienced a series A financing last year, led by Xiaopeng Motors and other institutions, and the financing amount exceeded 500 million US dollars.
Companies scramble to develop flying carsHuman exploration of flying cars can be traced back to a hundred years ago. In recent years, with the gradual maturity and popularization of smart electric vehicle technology, a new round of carnival has emerged on the smart electric flying car track.
For example, another Guangzhou auto brand, GAC Aian, recently posted posters on its official Weibo with the caption "Aian wants to build a flying car?"If Aian is still only "half-covering the pipa", then it has been clear that the competition and the first layout are not only traditional multinational car companies such as GM, Porsche, and Volkswagen, but also domestic car companies such as Geely and Xiaopeng. Including Google, Intel, Uber and other technology giants. According to incomplete statistics, as of 2021, more than 200 companies or institutions around the world are developing flying car products, with about 420 models.Flying cars have also sparked the pursuit of capital. Among domestic companies, EHang was listed in the United States in 2019, becoming the world's first listed flying car company; in addition, Weihang Technology, Fengfei Aviation, Xiaopeng Huitian, etc. have successively obtained multiple rounds of huge financing. Last year, five flying car companies from the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Brazil went public in the United States.Under the heat of capital, some companies have also produced results one after another. In addition to Xiaopeng Huitian, Geely's flying car TF-1 has completed its test flight, which can achieve a maximum flight altitude of 3,000 meters and a cruising range of 640 kilometers; Geely also said that the pure electric vertical take-off and landing 5-seat flying car TF-2 is under development , is expected to make its first flight by the end of this year; the Qichacha APP also shows that on October 11, Hubei Geely Taili Flying Car Co., Ltd. and Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., Ltd. were granted the patent for "a wing assembly and flying car".In addition, Volkswagen Group (China) has exhibited the first electric vertical take-off and landing manned aircraft prototype - V.MO. The flying car cooperating with the two overseas giants Boeing and Porsche has been tested and has a cruising range of about 80.4 kilometers. Toyota's flying car has been tested and is currently in the stage of continuous research and development.There is still resistance for the dream to completely "shine into reality"However, while more and more companies are entering the market, there are also companies that are leaving the market sadly. Recently, Kitty Hawk, a flying car company invested by Google’s co-founder, announced that it will be shutting down, revealing the “dark corners” behind the high popularity of flying cars."Flying cars are still in an embarrassing period." Zhang Xiang, an analyst in the automotive industry, said that in terms of related supporting policies and high costs, flying cars are still in their infancy, and it is still fashionable to talk about application landing and commercialization. early ."At present, flying cars still focus on the function of flying, and the functions related to cars are relatively poor." Zhang Xiang believes that there is still a big gap between the current flying car and people's imagination. It is more advantageous in terms of cost performance and flight experience. Cui Dongshu, secretary general of the Passenger Federation, also said: "Flying cars are still far away. For some car companies, the more important thing is to sell good cars."But active players may not think so.After completing the first overseas flight, Xiaopeng Huitian said that it will announce the latest research and development progress of the next-generation flying car in the near future. Its founder He Xiaopeng also said that the flying car may be mass-produced as soon as 2024.Geely, which established Wofei Changkong and entered the field of flying cars through the acquisition of Taili, an American flying car company, is also actively promoting the landing of flying cars. Previously, Taili Flying Car TF-1 has been the first to win the airworthiness certificate issued by the FAA, and the pre-sale price in North America is 280,000 US dollars.Industry insiders analyzed that although there is still a long way to go from ordinary consumers, from the perspective of the advancement of companies such as Xiaopeng and Geely, flying cars may be the first to land in some specific commercialization scenarios.
XINDA