Chinese automaker XPeng showed a prototype of a car that is capable not only to ride, but also fly. This is reported by TechCrunch Edition.
The device received the name HT AERO, it is developing a subsidiary of XPeng. Visually, the car resembles XPeng P7: the machine in the sedan form factor has three doors and two seats, an electric motor and screws for take-off. The car is equipped with a autopilot system that can evaluate the environment on the roads and in the air.
According to representatives of the corporation, HT AERO is designed for flights at a low height. In addition to the steering wheel in the cabin there is a joystick-like control knob to move in the air. The presented car has a length of 5.5 meters and lightweight 50 percent of the body – compared to the XPeng P7 model. The car in the air can accelerate up to 130 kilometers per hour, the flight time is limited to 30 minutes.
Xpeng plans to begin mass production of a hybrid device by 2024. A new car is estimated at about one million yuan or about 11 million rubles. According to representatives of the corporation, in the future they have to explore the possibility of raising on a small height of the consumer car from a legal point of view.
In September, XPeng representatives declared the creation of a special group for research and the development of flying cars and robots. “We want to present a car that can take off or land vertically, a flying car with a small or medium height,” said Head He Xiaopen.