A transformable flying car with folding propellers was shown in China
Miscellaneous / / October 25, 2023
And a modular car with a drone on board to transport people.
Chinese company Xpeng AeroHT presented two prototypes of cars of the future. Both are completely different and offer unusual ways to get around.
The first one, designated as Model A, in appearance it is close to a two-door coupe. But it is equipped with folding propellers and has transparent doors to increase visibility during flight. At the rear, there are LED headlights and massive air vents.
Cameras are used instead of mirrors. There are no door handles either. These external features were developed to reduce drag during flight and driving.
The main feature is the rotors located on the roof. There are eight pieces in total attached to the frame. And they can be hidden inside the body, which makes the car more compact and safer when driving on the roads. However, the developers did not demonstrate this option during the presentation. They admitted that this part of the structure is the most difficult.
The flying car will weigh about 1,000 kilograms. Previously, its price was even named - a million yuan (≈13 million rubles). And although the debut is planned for 2024, the prototype still looks very crude and, apparently, is far from mass production.
The second prototype was a modular car Model B. It is radically different from the first option - it consists of a ground carrier (“mother ship”) and a flying drone, and looks like a minivan or compact truck.
The mother part of the futuristic car has six wheels. There are six seats in the cabin. The electric drone supports manual and automatic control. But it is designed for only two passengers.
The company claims that this modular car is their next mass production endeavor. Moreover, it is now a priority, since a transforming car is much more difficult to develop.
Xpeng AeroHT, a division of the famous electric vehicle manufacturer XPeng, was founded in 2013. In 2016, the company developed its first aircraft. It was followed by five more, which looked more like drones. Prototype of the first truly flying car showed in the fall of 2022.
Transport of the future🧐
- GAC showed a flying electric car that can also travel on roads
- The concept of transport of the future - the CruiseUp airmobile - was presented in Austria.
- A “flying saucer” has been built in China, which will be offered instead of a car.