Xpeng X2: Chinese flying car avoids traffic jams

The electric XPeng X2 makes what science fiction books are full of, the flying car. The Chinese car manufacturer wants to have it in mass production by 2024.

Flying cars never entered series production

Working flying cars have been around for almost 100 years. Until recently, flying cars were not very practical. Different technical requirements are set for cars and airplanes, which makes it difficult to meet them with a vehicle.

A good example is the handling. You want a car to be stable on the road, with a reasonable vehicle weight preventing the car from being blown off the road in a strong southwesterly wind. The Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management also sets the necessary technical requirements for a car, which makes it even heavier.

An aircraft must be as light as possible, because every extra kilo means more fuel. So this doesn’t really go together. Another major drawback is that you need a pilot’s license to drive a flying car.

In principle, you can achieve the same thing with a one- or two-person helicopter. But these have the major disadvantage that they cannot drive on the road. Although prototypes have been built that can. Thanks to the breakthrough of lithium ion batteries and motors with rare earth metals, electrical systems have become many times more powerful. Now things are possible that were really unthinkable before.

Competition from the Dutch corner?

Other manufacturers are also developing flying cars. For example, the Dutch Pal-V, which is expected to start supplying rather expensive flying cars in 2023. Prices vary from 3 to 5 tons. For that you get a sample of the machine, with which you can drive 1100 km as a car and fly 400-500 km on a tank with 100 liters of petrol.

In short, James Bond would be jealous of this. The accountant probably a little less. Although it is a good and much cheaper alternative to a private plane.

One of Pal-V’s first clients will be the National Police Services Agency.

City plane

The specifications of the XPeng X2, and with it the price tag, are more modest than the rather bombastic presentation as “latest supernova”. For starters, this model has no wheels. You can only fly with it. You can best think of it as a huge drone that you can sit in.

Because it is an electric plane, the range is also quite limited. This means of transport is especially suitable for use in the city, where you only have to make short flights. The city where anything is possible. And then of course we are talking about Dubai: the largest city in the United Arab Emirates where the most insane construction projects are shooting up. This is probably also where the largest number of very wealthy buyers who want to buy these planes live.

Because let’s face it, only a real pauper still drives a Lamborghini, if you can park right in front of the door with your own plane? Another special feature of the Xpeng X2 is the automatic steering. In principle, someone without a pilot’s license can also fly the aircraft. Although regulators will think otherwise. As a real urban means of transport, it will probably be of interest, in addition to the wealthiest, mainly as a taxi, for police services and perhaps for high-end courier services.

XPeng X2 will ship around 2024

This is not the only flying model the company produces. The smaller XPeng X1 Is a single-person aircraft, which is mainly intended for police and rescue services. With this, the company wants to compete with single-person helicopters.

The X2, on the other hand, has been specially developed for a more general group of users. The price tag of the XPeng X2, once in mass production, will be relatively modest, around 170,000 euros. The era of mass production will begin in the year 2024, the manufacturer estimates.

Meanwhile, the Chinese are already testing the successor, the X3. This one, pictured below, will look less futuristic but be capable of both flying and driving. This is of course the first real flying car they are going to make. In short, Xpeng is a company to keep an eye on.