Guangzhou, China
“The X2 marks another step closer to a more widely available and safe flying car,” states He Xiaopeng, XPeng Chairman and CEO.
Developed by a department of electric car company XPeng motors, The X2 has officially taken to the skies.
The aircraft is designed for private ownership and personal use (similar to a traditional car) rather than only as a shared air taxi.
The flying car from XPeng Huitian weighs 360kg (794 lbs) and can handle a maximum takeoff weight of 560kg (1,235 lbs).
Since it is battery electric, the X2 has the endurance for 35 minutes of flight time, and can reach a maximum speed of 130 km/h (80 mph).
The X2 has also been designed with capabilities to perform autonomous flight path planning.
This technology is supported by multiple sensors, allowing the fifth-generation vessel to monitor the ground, assist in returning to land, and communicate in real-time over a distance of 100 km (62 miles).
Furthermore, the electric vehicle gets aerial, thanks to eight propellers across four axes, offering multi-motor power backup.
The X2 is an especially sleek looking aircraft, whose lines echo the appearance of Tesla’s Cybertruck or the DMC Delorean.
This design gives more of a car feel than an aircraft aesthetic, making the vehicle more approachable and inviting to those who are new to the idea of personal flight.
The interior is especially user experience oriented, showing off a control panel and dashboard that look very similar to many electric ground-based cars on the market today.
The X2 will be able to carry two passengers with semi-autonomous and fully autonomous capabilities, will have a range of about 50 miles per charge at speeds up to 80mph, and will even be able to fit inside a single traditional parking space.
XPeng motors has a vision of the future where auto manufacturers slowly transition from making internal combustion cars to electric cars and eventually all the way to electric flying cars.
Notably, American companies like GM and Goodyear have taken a similar approach, designing concepts for both electric aircraft and their components.
Founded in 2014, the Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer XPeng went public on the New York Stock
The exchange last summer, raising $1.5 billion. It’s P7 long-range sedan and G3 electric SUV have proven its ability to create successful electric vehicles, and the company signaling an emphatic vision for the future by releasing the concept for the X2 so soon after its automobile offerings.
As the world of eVTOL aircraft grows, so do the different kinds of companies developing air vehicles, and the various market segments for electric aircraft become more clear.
While companies like Joby Aviation, Beta Technologies, Vertical Aerospace, and Volocopter are focusing more on shared air taxi approaches, companies like XPeng and India’s ePlane may focus on privately-owned, smaller capacity aircraft.
The new X2 flying car comes complete with an ejection parachute.
Project: The X2
Designers: XPeng Motors
Manufacturer: XPeng Motors
