Xpeng AeroHT, the solution to traffic jams?
There are certainly many drivers who dream lately, especially with the work on the bridge-tunnel, to be able to pass over traffic with their vehicle like an airplane. This dream could well become reality in the nearer future than we think.
It is through its subsidiary Xpeng AeroHT Chinese automaker Xpeng has recently developed a VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) flying car. The concept seems quite simple, it is an electric vehicle which, like a drone, is equipped with four arms hanging from the roof and each comprising a pair of propellers. The vehicle offers two motors, one of which serves as an emergency motor to increase vehicle safety.
On the road and in the air
According to the manufacturer, the complexity of the vehicle has been reduced to a minimum, and its driving fully automated. The pilot, or driver, will be able to drive it with the steering wheel and the gear lever, thus avoiding duplicating the controls. The driver will be able to rotate the vehicle in the air, move forward and even reverse. On the road, it drives like a conventional vehicle, the bottom of the rotors can be folded down.
According to the manufacturer, the first flight tests were completed on October 24. It is possible to see its first flight in a video, the flying vehicle would have reached an altitude of more than 30 feet and would have demonstrated good stability. The manufacturer would have even turned off one of the engines in flight in order to recreate an emergency situation and to evaluate the behavior of the machine.
It remains uncertain whether the firm intends to produce the vehicle, we understand that it is currently a development prototype. The manufacturer claims that it is not easy to fly a two-tonne vehicle while providing it with a fairly interesting flight autonomy.
The manufacturer Xpeng specializes in the marketing of electric vehicles. He recently reported having assembled more than 200,000 electric vehicles including the P7, an electric car whose doors deploy upwards like the Lamborghini.
