XPeng held the annual “Technology Day” event in China and showcased some of the “developments of the future”. These include an autonomous driving system, animal robots, and self-learning artificial intelligence platforms. But the main event was the presentation of the sixth generation eVTOL flying electric car.

what is known

Last year, XPeng closed the Technology Day with the announcement of the debut of the sixth-generation eVTOL – the first to truly worthy of the term “flying car”. Previously, such variants did not have wheels, but the new version fixes this – the latest eVTOL has received an updated futuristic design.

According to the source, the car from XPend moves in the air on the principle of a drone, and not with the help of special turbines or jet engines, as we are often presented with in the movies. It can take off from somewhere (without accelerating like an ordinary airplane) with the help of four carbon propellers – they extend from a special compartment on the roof of the car. From above, such an electric car is very similar to a quadcopter.

Sixth generation eVTOL flying car / Photo: XPen

Sixth generation eVTOL flying car / Photo: XPen

Sixth generation eVTOL flying car / Photo: XPen

As already mentioned, this eVTOL is equipped with wheels and can work in drive mode in addition to flight mode. XPeng AeroHT explained that its driving mode is comparable to any regular car in terms of functionality and measurements.

in flight mode eVTOL is controlled by a rudder and a gear lever that controls forward and reverse movement, turns, climbs, hovers and descents..

The new prototype has already completed its maiden flight in addition to several single engine failure tests.

There are no videos of actual tests yet, but the company has shown a video footage of its upcoming product.

See what a flying car looks like from XPend: video

What is known about XPeng

• XPeng is a Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer founded in Guangzhou in 2014.
• The company consists of XPeng Motors and XPeng AeroHT, formerly known as XPeng Huitian and specializing in urban air mobility (UAM).
• In addition to producing electric cars and electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles, it has started to explore other fields such as robotics by developing its own software and charging products.