By 2025, we will have flying cars on the market. At least, that's the promise of Chinese manufacturer XPeng, which tested the X2, its electric flying car model, in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, this week.
The demonstration flight lasted 90 seconds and took place at Skydive Dubai, which is next to Palmeira Jumeirah island, for 150 guests. For this to happen, the company had to request a special authorization from the city's Civil Aviation Agency.
We are taking steps to advance to the international market. First we selected Dubai because it is the most innovative city in the world.
Minguan Qiu, General Manager of Xpeng Aeroht
The company posted a first-person video of the start of a flight on the X2 on its official Instagram page. The idea is to show, in a virtual way, what it's like to take a ride in the vehicle. Check out the video posted by the company below:
the new flying car
The full name of the new XPeng model is X2 eVTOL (acronym in English for an electric vehicle that can take off and land vertically). The project is from XPeng Aeroht, the airline's aviation – and one of Asia's largest airlines – based in Guangzhou, China.
The car was empty in the demo, but it is capable of carrying up to two engers (with a limit of 100 kg for each). To handle this load, the model has eight propellers – two on each “arm” – and a carbon fiber chassis.
The company explained that the vehicle would be used for low-altitude flights in cities. This altitude, in this case, would be just over 90 meters – but the X2 can reach up to 975 meters, with a maximum speed of 128 km/h and 35 minutes of flight time.
Therefore, the XPeng car would work, for example, for outings and transporting medical supplies.
In addition, the vehicle does not emit carbon dioxide, as it is electric, and works in both manual and automatic modes. In the case of the automatic, engers can operate, through a touch , departure, return and landing functions. That is, in theory, it would not be necessary to have a special driver's license to operate it.
tech event
The demonstration of the new XPeng vehicle was one of the attractions of the GitexGlobal, an event focused on the technology area, which took place at the World Trade Center in Dubai.
The public display of the X2 in Dubai represents a significant milestone for XPeng Aeroht and an international achievement for flying cars. Dubai is a world-renowned 'City of Innovation', which is why we decided to hold the X2's first public flight event here. Today's flight is an important step in exploring XPeng's future mobility.
Brian Gu, Vice President and President of XPeng during Gitex Global
Dubai International Chamber of Commerce Acting President and CEO Hassan Al Hashemi was also at the event and accompanied the X2 demo flight. "[The X2 demo] provided a glimpse into what the city skies might look like in the years to come. We witness a historic moment that will define the next 50 years,” Hashemi said at the time.
Despite believing that the X2 will hit the market in 2025, XPeng stressed that there are obstacles to this. These include regulatory approval and public acceptance of vehicles like the X2 for use in cities.
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Sources: Reuters, IoT World Today e People
