Xpeng Aeroht presents the “Land Aircraft Carrier”. This is basically a car that has a flying copter for two people on board. There is only a prototype so far, but the Chinese company wants to get the modular flying car on the road or in the air soon.
It wasn't long ago that air taxis were only laughed at. But several companies are actually working on such a vehicle, and one German company is hoping for approval this year. The Chinese manufacturer Xpeng Aeroht goes one step further. At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, he presented a modular flying car that he named the “Land Aircraft Carrier.”
Modular here means that a futuristic-looking vehicle with three axles has a flying copter in its “trunk”, which is essentially a flying taxi. The road module stays behind while its passengers take off on the flight module.
All passengers cannot fly
According to the manufacturer, the car offers space for four to five passengers and has a hybrid all-wheel drive with rear-wheel steering, which should make the vehicle exceptionally off-road. For example, you could use it on expeditions to drive as far into the wilderness as possible and if you get stuck, switch to the flight module. Xpeng Aeroht mentions emergency services as another possible area of application.
Open the flap, get out the copter.
(Photo: Xpeng Aeroht)
The “Land Aircraft Carrier” can be controlled manually, but also offers an automatic flight mode. There is space for two people in the aircraft and they can enjoy the view from a 270-degree panoramic cockpit.
Better safe than sorry
The copter has a purely electric drive and, according to the manufacturer, is suitable for vertical take-off and low-level flight. Its six rotors work independently, so that the flight module can still fly and land safely even if two engines fail.
In the event of an emergency, the “Land Aircraft Carrier” has a rescue system with four parachutes. According to the manufacturer, it even works at low altitudes of up to 50 meters, whereby the machine and passengers land roughly at 5 meters per second, but would not suffer any major damage.
The Chinese firman presented the flying car “eVTOL” as early as 2022. In street mode it looks like a sports car. Its four pairs of rotors are collapsible and can be extended to take the car off the road and into the air.
