You Could Learn to Pilot This Flying Car in Just 5 Minutes
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it a… flying Cybertruck? Nope, it’s a modular flying car that will take to the skies next year.
At the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin, attendees marveled at the Aridge flying car, a unique modular two-part system unveiled by Chinese robotics company Xpeng. The ground vehicle, a 5.5-meter-long van, resembles a Cybertruck and can store and deploy the electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle (eVTOL), complete with foldable wings.
The eVTOL, designed for up to six people, boasts a 30km (19-mile) flight range and can either be piloted manually or flown autonomously. Founder and president Deli Zhao claimed anyone could become a pilot in just five minutes, emphasizing the vehicle's accessibility and ease of use. Xpeng has received over 17,000 orders for the Land Aircraft Carrier across China, the UAE, and other Asian markets, with mass production set to begin in Guangzhou by November.
Despite existing concepts like flying motorcycles, Aridge settled on this design as the most suitable for commercial production. The vehicle's multi-functional design addresses storage, charging, transportation, and ease of use for eVTOLs. Zhao expressed his intention to make flying accessible to everyone and aims to reduce the required pilot training time from 20-30 hours to just five minutes.
The Land Aircraft Carrier is set to enter China's consumer market next summer, with potential for further expansion into Europe and the US.
Written by urgent.news from CNET's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
