Do you remember how Bruce Willis was deftly driving a flying taxi? Or how Harry and Ron tried unsuccessfully to catch up with the Hogwarts Express in a blue car when the passage to the magic platform had closed? Could any of us even imagine at least for a second that after a few decades this would turn out to be incredibly close to reality?
Technological progress is conquering new and new peaks every day, and what seemed completely unimaginable yesterday is already in our daily use today and can be easily accessible to the masses. Even if to speak about cars, we can see how fundamentally they have changed during the recent times. They can self-drive without human help, they can control the road lane and speed, and manage inbuilt settings depending on the external factors. Such cars can be too expensive, however, you can easily rent it for a trial. Rental companies can offer you a great choice of any car, starting from the most budget ones and to the most luxurious, providing also «gold middle» options like those in the luxury city of Dubai. Once here during the trip, hire top-notch Lamborghini or rent Mercedes in Dubai. Car rental there is very economical and simple to arrange. If this is your first time renting a car, skilled car rental specialists will assist you in selecting the ideal vehicle and arranging everything fast.
But still the technologies are constantly moving ahead and this is not a sensation that various auto manufacturers are now trying to overcome height and gravity by creating flying cars.
Chinese company XPeng, which is called the “Chinese Tesla”, has been developing flying cars for several years. According to representatives of XPeng, the serial version of the flying machine will be put into mass production and will be available in 2024. The model is named HT Aero — after the name of the XPeng subsidiary working on it. The car has a hybrid device, that is, it will move both on public roads and by air. The machine is designed for short flights at low altitude. Cars from the future are kept on earth by laws that will have to be adapted to a new type of transport. The automaker was able to achieve a more or less adequate price for a manned vehicle – a hybrid car will cost as a business class car. HT Aero is estimated at around one million yuan, or about 150.000$.
XPeng has recently filed a patent application for its new flying car. Moreover, we are talking about a car that can fly, and not about a helicopter that can drive on public roads (usually the inventors of flying cars went exactly the second way). And, most importantly, the XPeng concept implies that the “wings” can be attached to almost any car.
XPeng has been developing flying cars for a long time, and the first concept of such a vehicle was shown back in 2016. Since then, almost once a year, the Chinese demonstrate new versions of machines capable of taking to the sky. For example, in October 2021, the HT Aero concept was introduced. It was a car with a coupe body, which had elements with rotors at the ends on the sides. Thanks to them, the car had the possibility of vertical takeoff and landing.
In the published patent images we can see a car with two doors so much – it is possible that all the space behind the driver will be allocated to the system of lifting the car into the air. And, thus, the car itself – despite its dimensions – will turn out to be a two-seater.
However, every medal has its reverse.
The introduction of flying cars is actually seen as a solution to many problems on the ground. There is no need to build and maintain an extensive highway system for this type of transport. Existing roads are being freed up for public and slow-moving transport, as well as pedestrians. Flying cars in theory spend less fuel and pollute the environment less. But at the same time can face potential threats in increasing numbers of accidents in the air as piloting an aircraft for sure will be much more complicated than driving a regular vehicle.
By the way, not only XPeng is going to start producing flying cars in the near future. For example, Japanese Suzuki, Slovak engineering company AeroMobil, German Volocopter, Korean Hyundai and many others have already announced such plans. So, all we need to do now – is to wait as the progress is practically here, you have just to open the window and let it in!
