(Credit: HT Aero)
Chinese startup HT Aero has unveiled a concept for an electric flying machine with two folding propellers. Its release will begin in 2024.
Today flying cars are developed by several companies from different countries. Among them, the most common design is an airplane type with a collapsible wing, like the Slovak AirCar project or the American Aerocar N101D.
But there are others, like the Japanese SkyDrive vehicle, which is made according to the quadcopter scheme.
This summer, HT Aero (a subsidiary of XPeng, a Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer) unveiled the concept of the X2 flying machine, a two-seat quadcopter capable of speeds up to 130 kilometers per hour and flights of up to 35 minutes.
HT Aero announced last week that it had raised over half a billion dollars in investment and also unveiled the concept of a new electric flying vehicle. Outwardly, it resembles a Bugatti Chiron hypercar with two large folding propellers for vertical take-off and landing, like the Osprey convertiplanes.
HT Aero did not disclose technical details about this project. Given that electric cars are generally heavier than conventional cars, the new car is unlikely to be able to fly long distances. In addition, it is designed with little or no standby power. This can be a problem, especially at altitude, where it is not yet possible to deploy the parachute.
Source: https://newatlas.com/aircraft/xpeng-ht-aero-flying-car/