XPeng AeroHT X3 (prototype)

X3 (prototype)
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 AeroHT has made an unnamed new flying car which we now know is called the X3 and is a prototype flying and roadable car. The information was revealed to the world due to XPeng AeroHT's Chinese patent applications. The hybrid-electric VTOL flying and road legal vehicle is a sixth generation flying car. On June 25, 2022, it was reported that the company was doing secret test runs on Chongqing roads (a municipality of southwest China).

The XPeng AeroHT X3 holds two passengers, has eight propellers, four road tires and has a total of 12 electric motors for the entire vehicle. We believe the vehicle holds two passengers based on pictures of their prototype hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft/car seen on the roads in China. The initial pictures of the prototype driving on the roads car show what looks like a roof cargo carrier which would hold the propellers or rotorblades. The latest graphics of the X3 reveal a very futuristic vehicle that simply looks at first glance, that there is a cargo carrier on the top of the roof.

No specifications have been released by the company as of August 2022. The vehicle has been made so it can drive down roads without the propeller assembly being in the way of other cars. The X3 can park in a standard parking space, driveway or garage. The power source for the vehicle has not been officially 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 quad configuration assembly that is attached to the roof of the car body. In a separate Oct. 24, 2022 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 quad configuration. In the recent past, XPeng AeroHT reported it will launch its flying car in 2024 with a cost approximately ¥1,000,000.00 RMB ($150,000.00 USD).

Specifications:

• Aircraft type: Hybrid-electric VTOL passenger multicopter aircraft and a road legal vehicle (a flying car)
• Piloting: Unknown
• Capacity: 2 passengers
• Propellers: 8 propellers (A roof top case houses the retractable propellers)
• Electric motors: 8 electric motors for the propellers, 4 electric motors for the wheels
• Power source: Hybrid-electric power source
• Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
• Windows: Windows typical of an automobile
• Landing gear: 4 roadable wheels
• Safety features: Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP), provides safety through redundancy for its passengers and/or cargo. DEP means having multiple propellers (or ducted fans) and motors on the aircraft so if one or more propellers (ducted fans) or motors fail, the other working propellers (or ducted fans) and motors can safely land the aircraft. There are also redundancies in the sub-systems of 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 Cruiser (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)

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