Video: XPeng X1 and X2 “flying cars” show off their ability within tight spaces and ease of use
Jerrica · Apr 6, 2022 11:52 AM
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XPeng X1
We’re familiar with the EHang, now get acquainted with yet another company that is also making headway in the electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles, XPeng Heitech. The company currently has at least two official prototypes known as the XPeng X1 and XPeng X2.
To be clear, unlike EHang, XPeng started off as a car manufacturer before it branched off to start its offshoot Xpeng Heitech which focuses on creating eVTOLs.
Previewed at the 2021 Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition (Auto Shanghai), the XPeng X1 is a one-seater eVTOL that the company hopes will be used in air travel, emergency rescue, and just plain sightseeing journeys.
The X1 is the company’s fourth-generation prototype and is just the start of what the company hopes to contribute to the eVTOL industry. XPeng has specifically designed the X1 to match the size of an ordinary car so it can easily fit into a standard parking space.
By matching the size of a standard car, XPeng hopes that it would make it easy for customers to take off and land vertically in a parking space.
The company also launched its fifth-generation prototype known as the XPeng X2 in September 2021, not long after the preview of the X1.
XPeng X2
Instead of one, the X2 seats two and weighs 360 kg in total. The eVTOL has a maximum takeoff weight of 560 kg, a range of 35 minutes, and a top speed of 130 km/h.
Other than that, the X2 is also said to have autonomous flight path planning capabilities and plenty of safety precautions to make the aircraft safer than its predecessor.
For starters, XPeng installed plenty of sensors that will allow the X2 to monitor the ground, self-land, and have two-way real-time communication over 100 km.
It also has eight independent battery groups that will provide a redundant power supply to the aircraft. Should any of the cells malfunction, the remaining cells will kick in to keep power flowing to the four axes and eight propellers.
Should all else fails, the X2 also comes with an ejection parachute to allow passengers to escape before a crash. The X2 also comes with a 24-hour monitoring system as part of its safety features.
Both prototypes are still undergoing extensive testing to make eVTOL travels safer. The X1, in particular, has undergone more than 10,000 test flights.
XPeng is working on a eVTOL that can actually driven on roads
At the moment, these are all eVTOLs and not the proverbial “flying car” as they can not be driven on the road. XPeng revealed that they are hoping to launch a real flying car that can be driven on the road and flown in the sky by 2024. Will XPeng, China's Tesla, be able to succeed? We can’t wait to find out.
There isn’t a time in memory that doesn’t involve staring at cars. After discovering the excitement of watching Schumacher vs Hakkinen, Formula 1 became a major part of life. The love for cars and F1 ultimately led to a job with CAR Magazine. The untimely death of the magazine meant a hiatus from cars at lifestyle women’s magazine Marie Claire before another opportunity came knocking again.
