At the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas city in the US, the company made its first international debut with the Land Aircraft Carrier, a modular flying car developed by Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer XPENG, and its global debut. It attracted a lot of attention. It is scheduled to be delivered to customers in 2026.
The AE200 Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Aircraft (EVTOL) is on display at the third Global Digital Trade Expo held in Hangzhou, Zhijiang Province, eastern China on September 25, 2024.
Flying cars gradually turn into reality, presenting endless possibilities for future transportation. Perhaps in 10 years, they will likely reduce commuting time from 1-2 hours to just 10-20 minutes, reducing the stress of traffic congestion for city residents.
Today, people have a more specific definition of flying cars. In a narrow sense, a flying car refers to a dual-mode vehicle that can drive on the ground and fly in the air. In a broad sense, it includes electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (EVTOL) used for public transport.
In 2024, the China Automobile Engineers Association released its first research report on flying cars. It was observed that the development of smart EVs in the 21st century created a solid industrial base for smart electric aviation.
According to the report, as a category of flying cars, EVTOL is expected to be similar to ground cars by integrating the industrial chain of planes and cars, just like ground cars. The concept of flying a car in a broad sense is widely accepted by the industry, the report says.
The age of flying cars is rapidly becoming a reality in the future. According to China’s white paper on flying cars, the development of flying cars goes through three stages.
In the first phase from 2025, flying cars will enter the 1.0 phase of commercialization, during which the cargo EVTOL will enter commercial operations, and passenger EVTOL will be demonstrated and applied to specific scenarios.
The second phase will appear around 2035 when the flying vehicle accepts the 2.0 phase of development and causes more intelligent EVTOL. These aircraft will be manufactured on a large scale and become the main mode of low-altitude transport.
In the third phase, by around 2050, the flying car will enter the 3.0 phase, featuring a large application of amphibious flying vehicles running on the ground and in the air. Low altitude and ground transportation are deeply integrated, establishing a three-dimensional intelligent transport system.
Many countries around the world are accelerating the innovation and application of flying cars. There are three main development approaches:
First, some companies are moving from traditional mechanical aviation to smart electric aviation. For example, companies such as Joby Aviation in the US, European aircraft manufacturer Airbus, and Chinese companies such as Autoflight and Aerofugia have developed flying cars, with traditional aviation design experience and technical advantages.
Second, some companies are challenging Smart Electric Aviation beyond smart EVs. Approximately 85% of the industrial chains supporting flying cars are closely linked to smart EVs, providing a robust foundation for flying cars technology. For example, XPENG and Chinese automaker GAC Group are strengthening their flying car R&D efforts based on their expertise in the smart EV industry.
Third, other companies are moving from multi-rotor drones to smart electric aviation. Multi-rotor drones establish the foundation for Smart Electric Aviation’s flight control technology. For example, Chinese drone manufacturer Ehang Holdings Limited and other companies are marching towards flying vehicles based on their early experiences with multi-rotor drones.
Joby Aviation plans to commercialize EVTols in 2025, creating a new realm of urban air mobility. Building on a wealth of experience in traditional aviation and powerful global presence, Airbus launched the CityAirbus NextGen project. In 2024, Airbus unveiled the NextGen Evtol prototype of the fully electric city airbus, successfully carrying out the maiden flight. This was a major step in the transition from traditional aviation to smart electric aviation.
The flying car, developed by the Chinese company XPENG, is on display at the Beijing International Automobile Exhibition on May 3, 2024.
China’s world-leading technology and industrial capabilities in EVS and multi-rotor drones provide a strong foundation for developing and producing flying cars. For example, Chinese automaker Changan Automobile has partnered with drone manufacturer Ehang to create an innovative approach. It combines automobiles with multi-rotor drone technology to provide new momentum in the development of flying cars.
Low-altitude transport serves as a major platform and scenario for applying new technologies such as new energy, artificial intelligence, big data, and 5G communications. This represents a strategic direction for the development of a low-height economy and reconstructs the landscape of global economic development.
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and flying vehicles are the main modes of transport for low-altitude economic activity. Just as bicycles, motorcycles and cars are important to the ground economy, consumer grade UAVs, industrial grade UAVs, and transport grade flying vehicles are equally essential in low potential economies.
UAVs have played a leading role in the low-height economy, moving from consumer-grade recreational devices to industrial production tools used for activities such as power line inspection and agriculture and forest conservation. Moving forward, the broad application of flying cars will lead humanity to a new age of three-dimensional transport, creating a trillion dollar blue marine market for low-altitude economies.
(Zhang Yangjun is a professor at the School of Vehicles and Mobility at Tsinghua University.)
(Web Editor: Hongyu, Du Mingming)
