They should be on the road as early as 2025: Now electric flying cars are coming

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Will our cars soon not only drive on the road, but also float in the air? It’s not science fiction, but it will probably be reality next year – at least if manufacturers Xpeng and Hyundai have their way.

At the Consumer Electronics Show CES in Las Vegas (USA), which ended on Saturday, January 13, Xpeng Aeroht, a subsidiary of the Chinese automaker Xpeng, is showing off its new land-based aircraft carrier. The futuristic-looking vehicle is a modular flying car that is planned to go into mass production as early as 2025.

From the street to the air

The ground module of the transport hermaphrodite envelops the air module on the ground while driving. If desired, the air module can be detached with a single button, thus enabling vertical takeoff in low altitude flights. The versatile vehicle offers space for four to five people and can move both in the air and on the ground with 6×6 all-wheel drive and rear axle steering on the road and even off-road.

After the Xpeng Aeroht Land Aircraft Carrier passed all relevant tests, the Chinese flying car has entered the preparation phase for the upcoming mass production. “We founded Aeroht in 2013 and dreamed of flying cars,” says Tan Wang, co-founder and vice president of Xpeng Aeroht. «Today, in 2024, this dream has become a reality. So the future is today and the whole world is ready to fly!” says Wang happily.

Hyundai hits the road in 2028

But Chinese supplier Supernal, a subsidiary of South Korean auto giant Hyundai, also offers all-electric driving and a flying vehicle. Thanks to its electric propulsion, the S-A2 vertical take-off and landing aircraft can quickly cover short and medium distances of up to 60 kilometers in daily life at cruising altitudes from 450 meters to 190 km/h.

“Our project for the S-A2 aircraft leverages advances in electric propulsion that will define the next generation of aviation,” explains Supernal Chief Technology Officer Ben Diachun. “We want to develop our concept into a revolutionary commercial product,” Diachun continues. The S-A2 flying car is based on the S-A1 concept model that was introduced at CES 2020 four years ago. Supernal’s goal is to provide economical production of aircraft that meet commercial aviation safety standards. However, sales of the serial model are not planned to start until 2028.

45 decibels in airplane mode

When developing the S-A2 aircraft, Hyundai designers drew on their experience of developing particularly efficient electric cars. The S-A2 concept offers an electric drive architecture with eight tiltable rotors. The flying car is as quiet as a dishwasher at 65 decibels during takeoff and landing, and buzzes through the air at just 45 decibels during normal flight.

So will we soon be able to get rid of the traffic congestion on our roads by simply taking off and disappearing into the air? It won’t be that easy. Our regulations must be readjusted to prevent sudden uncontrolled growth in the air.

Source: Blick