XPeng AeroHT T1 (production model)

T1 (production model)
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 originally 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. (Image credit: 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.

Entrepreneur Wang Tan, from China, has designed and created an award winning electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) single passenger multicopter for personal and commercial use. As there are not that many flying eVTOL aircraft in China, his prototype drew a lot of attention from Chinese venture capitalists and was financed with several millions of dollars (USD).

For historical purposes, the T1 aircraft as originally featured online on the www.kiwigogo.com website (now offline). We believe the Kiwigogo website was active from 2013 through 2021. The Kiwigogo's Facebook's page last post was in 2014. The last post of the Kiwigogo's Instagram account was in 2018.

T1 one passenger eVTOL multicopter production model
The T1 is a one person eVTOL multicopter production model aircraft made for advanced air mobility (AAM). The pilot sits in the center of the aircraft with a cockpit that has a front windshield, rear windshield, open sides and has an open framed fuselage around the entire seat. The pilot is strapped into the pilot's seat with an X-type safety harness, there are two arm rests and two foot rests.

The multicopter has a maximum speed of 72 km/h (45 mph), a range of 30 km (18.5 miles) or a flight time of 30 minutes, which ever comes first. The original name of the aircraft was the Kiwigogo T-One (was also written as T-1 and A-1) but as of September 2020 the aircraft was renamed to the T1. The first flight for the aircraft was June 2018.

The multicopter has eight propellers located in a circular fashion above the cockpit on a boom tree. There are eight electric motors and the aircraft uses Lithium-ion battery packs for its power source. The cruise altitude for the aircraft is 16-82 feet (5-25 meters) and has a maximum altitude of 3,000 m (9,650 ft). The maximum take-off weight is 800 kg (1,734 lbs). The multicopter has tricycle fixed skid landing gear with shock absorbers.

As of the 2020, Xpeng AeroHT has been working on their eVTOL aircraft for seven years have performed approximately 10,000 safety tests. Xpeng AeroHT has stated they have 15 proprietary intellectual property rights for the T-1 aircraft. The pictures below are of the flying prototype and the pictures above are conceptual drawings of the production aircraft.

The company says the aircraft can resist strong crosswinds due to its eight independently computer controlled propellers and advanced flight controls, ensuring stability of the aircraft in all wind conditions. Safety features include redundancy with the multiple propellers, engines and computer systems. If one of the electric motors fail, the computer will immediately keep the aircraft balanced to continue flying safely.

The aircraft has manual pilot control, automatic flight modes, gyroscopic stability system, GPS navigation, comfortable seating and landing skids. While some articles are saying this eVTOL aircraft is made for two passengers, we only see one seat in the aircraft.

The company plans to sell their aircraft to the end-user and companies for use in advanced air mobility (AAM) programs. They also predict that the aircraft will be utilized in rescue missions, such as mountain rescues.

Specifications:

• Aircraft type: eVTOL passenger multicopter production model aircraft
• Piloting: Piloted or autonomous
• Capacity: 1 passenger
• Cockpit: Open
• Maximum speed of 72 km/h (45 mph)
• Range: 30 km (18.5 miles)
• Flight time: 30 minutes
• Cruise altitude: 16-82 feet (5-25 meters)
• Maximum altitude: 3,000 m (9,650 ft)
• Maximum take-off weight: 800 kg (1,734 lbs)
• Propellers: 8 propellers 
• Electric engines: 8 electric motors
• Electric motor output: 80 kW, each
• Windows: Front windshield, sides are open
• Landing gear: Tricycle skid landing gear
• Safety features: Has multiple redundancy features, advanced flight control to keep the aircraft stable in windy or gusty conditions to ensure safe flight. Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP), provides safety through redundancy for its passengers and/or cargo. 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 Air F1 (defunct)
• XPeng AeroHT Cruiser (concept design)
• XPeng AeroHT eVTOL Flying Car (concept design)
• XPeng AeroHT Flying Car (concept design)
• XPeng AeroHT Magic Cloud (defunct)
• XPeng AeroHT Modular Flying Car (concept design)
• XPeng AeroHT Skimmer (concept design)
• XPeng AeroHT Snow Flyer (concept design)
• XPeng AeroHT Sport (concept design)
• XPeng AeroHT Tilt-Wing (technology demonstrator)
• XPeng AeroHT Voyager X1 (production model)
• XPeng AeroHT Voyager X2 (production model)
• XPeng AeroHT X3 (concept design)
• XPeng AeroHT X3 (technology demonstrator)

Company Insights:

• CBInsights
• Crunchbase
• Pitchbook
• Tracxn

Resources:

• XPeng AeroHT website
• XPeng AeroHT Facebook
• XPeng AeroHT Twitter
• XPeng AeroHT YouTube
• XPeng AeroHT TikTok
• XPeng AeroHT Pinterest
• XPeng AeroHT Instagram
• XPeng AeroHT LinkedIn
• Kiwigogo YouTube Channel
• XPeng Motors website
• XPeng Motors Facebook
• XPeng Motors Twitter
• XPeng Motors YouTube Channel
• XPeng Motors LinkedIn
• Award: Kiwigogo A-One wins 2019 reddot award, reddot, 2019
• Photo gallery: Kiwigogo Aircraft A-one, manned drone, Dongguan City, Rex Features, Oct. 16, 2019
• Article: Chinese helicopter can participate in traffic in the future, Teller Report, Nov. 27, 2019
• Video: The future has come!, Wang Tan, Mar. 5, 2020
• Video: Kiwigogo T-One Rotor Test, Wang Tan, Mar. 5, 2020
• Video: Kiwigogo T-One personal aircraft in the future, Wang Tan, Mar. 6, 2020
• Video: Kiwigogo T-One, Wang Tan, Mar. 8, 2020
• 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: Xpeng Unveils Flying Electric Vehicle Prototype At Beijing Motor Show, Inside EVs, Sept. 26, 2020
• Article: Xpeng’s Kiwigogo ‘Flying Car’ Prototype Looks Like A Human-Carrying Drone, Car Scoops, Sept. 29, 2020
• Article: China's Rising eVTOL Industry, Vertiflite, Nov/Dec 2021