XPeng AeroHT X3

X3
XPeng AeroHT
Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
www.aeroht.com

Founded in 2014 by He Xiaopeng, Henry Xia and He Tao, Xpeng Motors 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 is beginning to make electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for advanced air mobility (AAM). 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.

It was reported in Car News China on June 3, 2022 that XPeng has made an unnamed new flying car. The information was revealed to the world due to XPeng's Chinese patent applications. The VTOL flying and roadable vehicle is apparently a sixth generation flying car. On June 25, 2022, it was reported the flying car was doing secret test runs on Chongqing roads (a municipality of southwest China). The XPeng unnamed car is a VTOL aircraft and roadable vehicle which most likely holds two passengers based on a test car seen on the roads in China. The initial pictures of the car show what looks like a roof cargo carrier which would hold the propellers or rotorblades. No specifications have been released by the company as of August 2022 and the power source for the vehicle has not been revealed but most contemporary flying cars have a hybrid-electric power source.

In a video posted to YouTube on Oct. 24, 2022, XPeng AeroHT revealed that it conducted the maiden flight of an uncrewed demonstrator for its X3 flying car. In the video, XPeng AeroHT shows the eVTOL aircraft take off, hover and land. The X3 is an interim name for the latest iteration of XPeng’s flying car design. The prototype features a multicopter design arranged in a coaxial octocopter configuration and situated on the roof of a car. In a separate Oct. 24 video, XPeng AeroHT revealed a design for the future of its flying car, showing how the arms would unfold outwards from the roof of the vehicle. (An early concept unveiled last year had an animation of the arms extending from the rear windows and then unfolding.)

In what appears to be a patent submission in January 2023 for a design for a flying car, XPeng included digital renderings of a multicopter configuration similar to those released in its October 2022 video. Like those previous renderings, the images included in the January 2023 patent submission show a car-like vehicle sporting roof-mounted, folding propellers arranged in a coaxial octocopter configuration.

Specifications:

• Aircraft type: VTOL aircraft and roadable vehicle (a flying car)
• Piloting: Unknown
• Capacity: Unknown, possibly seats 2 passengers
• Cruise speed: Unknown
• Range: Unknown
• Flight time: Unknown
• Cruise altitude: Unknown
• Propellers/Rotorblades: Unknown (a roof top case houses the propellers or rotorblades)
• Electric motors: Unknown
• Power source: Unknown
• Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
• Windows: Windows typical of an automobile
• Landing gear: Four roadable wheels

Related Aircraft:

• GroundAero Sport Utility Aircraft (defunct)
• XPeng AeroHT Magic Cloud (defunct)
• XPeng AeroHT Air F1 (defunct)
• XPeng AeroHT Skimmer (concept design)
• XPeng AeroHT Cruiser (concept design)
• XPeng AeroHT Sport (concept design)
• XPeng AeroHT Flying Car (concept design)
• XPeng AeroHT T1
• XPeng AeroHT Voyager X1
• XPeng AeroHT Voyager X2

Company Insights:

• Pitchbook
• Crunchbase
• MarketWatch
• Tracxn

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: XPeng New Flying Car Patent Images Leaked, Car News China, June 3, 2022
• Article: It Is Real! XPeng Tests Flying Car On Roads In China, Car News China, June 25, 2022
• Article: XPeng AeroHT Completes ‘Flying Car’ Trial Factory in China, Car News China, July 25, 2022
• Video: Maiden flight of the demonstrator for the X3 flying car, YouTube, Oct. 24, 2022
• Video: Computer-generated rendering of future flying car design, YouTube, Oct. 24, 2022