XPeng AeroHT Cruiser (concept design)
/Heitech Cruiser/Heitch-Cruiser.jpg "Heitech Cruiser")
Cruiser (concept design)
XPeng AeroHT
Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
www.aeroht.com
With funding from XPeng Motors, XPeng AeroHT was founded in 2020 as one of its subdivisions and is located in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. XPeng AeroHT is in the business of designing and manufacturing electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) passenger aircraft for advanced air mobility (AAM). The company was orginally founded as Heitech in 2013 by Zhao Deli in Dongguan, Guangdong, China and was later purchased by XPeng Motors. He Xiaopeng is the Chairman and CEO of XPeng Motors and the Chairman of XPeng AeroHT. Zhao Deli is currently the president of XPeng AeroHT, Wang Tan is the co-founder, vice president and chief designer of XPeng AeroHT and Zheng Congwei is the vice president of XPeng AeroHT.
XPeng Motors was founded in 2014 by He Xiaopeng, Henry Xia and He Tao and is a leading Chinese all-electric vehicle and technology company that designs, develops and manufactures intelligent automobiles that are seamlessly integrated with the Internet and utilize the latest advances in artificial intelligence. The company's headquarters are located in Guangzhou, China.
The company's manufacturing philosophy centers around quality, continuous improvement, flexibility and high operating efficiency. XPeng's goal is to make smart electric vehicles with technology and data, and shape the consumer mobility experience of the future. XPeng went public in the U.S. in August 2020 and has completed a dual-primary listing in Hong Kong.
When Zhao Deli was very young, he always liked electronics, science and had the dream to fly. In 2008, Zhao by chance, saw a group of people flying remote-controlled model aircraft which sparked his interest in flying again. He began to work on, study and learn to make model aircraft, including drones and helicopters and learned how to make them fly.
After making electric drones for several years (including a hybrid-electric drone), Zhao started his own company in 2010 to sell drones. The company created five different drone models to manufacture and sell. Then around 2016, Zhao read about a hover surfboard from Canada, this information was the catalyst to for him to begin building an eVTOL hoverbike for one passenger.
He started out funding himself with his own money, by selling his home and borrowing money from friends. He then attracted investors to keep his research going. After his drone company went bankrupt, Zhao Deli attracted an investment of $2.8 million (USD), all from Chinese venture capitalists and XPeng AeroHT was formed. Before XPeng AeroHT was formed, Deli's two previous and now defunct eVTOL companies were named GroundAero and Heitech Aeronautics & Astronautics.
The Cruiser eVTOL concept design is a sleek aerodynamic luxury multi-passenger multicopter appears to have been made for Urban Air Mobility (UAM). This aircraft either holds two or four passengers comfortably, with front, side and a full sun roof for spectacular views for the occupants. The aircraft has four booms with two propellers on each end of the booms for vertical and forward flight, for a grand total of eight propellers for the entire aircraft. In all probability, the company will use carbon fiber to get the intricate shapes for the sleek and modern looking aircraft.
The aircraft's distinguishing features include the entire aircraft being a low profile vehicle, it has an aerodynamic front, aerodynamic booms for the multirotors and has retractable landing gear. It is unknown how passengers enter and exit the aircraft; however, the canopy might open and close or there are doors on each side of the aircraft. There is a probability this aircraft would not fit into a standard parking space and would need to land on vertiport made for UAM or on some type of special landing pad.
Several of Deli's other eVTOL concept designs are the XPeng AeroHT Skimmer and the XPeng AeroHT Sport.
Specifications:
- Aircraft type: eVTOL passenger hoverbike multicopter (concept design)
- Capacity: From 2 to 4 people including a pilot or possibly flown autonomously
- Propellers: 8 propellers on booms, the booms for the propellers are aerodynamic and most likely provide some lift during forward flight
- Electric Motors: 8 electric motors
- Fuselage: Carbon fiber
- Cockpit: Enclosed cockpit
- Windows: Forward, side and top windows provide spectacular views for the passengers
- Landing gear: Retractable landing gear
- Safety Features: Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP), provides safety through redundancy for its passengers. DEP means having multiple propellers and motors on the aircraft so if one or more motors or propellers fail, the other working motors and propellers can safely land the aircraft.
Related Aircraft:
- GroundAero Sport Utility Aircraft (defunct)
- XPeng AeroHT Magic Cloud (defunct)
- XPeng AeroHT Air F1 (defunct)
- XPeng AeroHT Skimmer (concept design)
- XPeng AeroHT Sport (concept design)
- XPeng AeroHT Flying Car (concept design)
- XPeng AeroHT T1 (production model)
- XPeng AeroHT Voyager X1 (production model)
- XPeng AeroHT Voyager X2 (production model)
- XPeng AeroHT X3 (prototype)
Resources:
- XPeng AeroHT website
- XPeng AeroHT Facebook
- XPeng AeroHT Twitter
- XPeng AeroHT YouTube
- XPeng AeroHT TikTok
- XPeng AeroHT Instagram
- XPeng AeroHT LinkedIn
- XPeng Motors website
- XPeng Motors Facebook
- XPeng Motors Twitter
- XPeng Motors YouTube Channel
- XPeng Motors LinkedIn
- Article: Chinese man sells his house to fund flying motorcycle, Global Times, July 25, 2018
- Article: Chinese Inventor Develops Working Drone Motorcycle, The Drive, July 28, 2018
- Article: Chinese Inventor Plans To Take His “Hoverbike” On A 3,400 Mi Journey, Mike Shouts, July 30, 2018
- Video: Chinese man makes "flying scooter", South China Morning Post, Aug. 18, 2018
- Article: Chinese Inventor Builds Hoverbike and Becomes a Superhero, RideApart, Aug. 20, 2018
- Video: Chinese inventor Zhao Deli's flying scooter how to make it fly step by step., Alvan Tang, Oct. 5, 2018
- Video: Flying motorbike Multi-Rotor Manned Aircraft from China, Alvan Tang, Apr. 2, 2019
- Article: Man realizes flight fantasy of childhood, China.org.cn, May 9, 2019
- Video: China's Hover Bike - Zhao Deli, Abacus News, Oct. 10, 2019
- Article: HeiTech eVTOLs Discovered, eVTOL News, Aug. 28, 2020
- Article: Chinese electric car start-up Xpeng shows off new flying vehicle, CNBC, Sept. 26, 2020
- Article: China's Rising eVTOL Industry, Vertiflite, Nov/Dec 2021
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