Can flying cars successfully take off into the sky?

In the technology circle, flying cars have always been regarded as a kind of black technology. People in the industry mostly regard it as a show of skill, and do not think of mass production, which is a distant reality. Recently, Xiaopeng Motors announced at a press conference that its flying cars will be mass-produced in 2024, which really surprised many people. This is a bit of a fantasy. In fact, our readers who often pay attention to technology news know that there are only a handful of flying cars that have been commercialized, let alone mass production.

After so many years of development, many flying cars have died, and there are only a few companies that are still researching. From the influx of many to the dismal exit, there are too many problems to be solved for the commercialization of flying cars. After so many years of persistence, have flying cars changed? In the flying car market, some companies have persisted and are able to maintain their existence. How do these companies survive? Some companies have left the market dismally. What kind of devilish journey do they have to go through to achieve the mass production they want? Can flying cars go to the sky smoothly?

Current status of flying car companies

In recent years, with the rapid development of autonomous driving technology, we have witnessed that the whole series of autonomous driving, such as robotaxi, buses, mining cars, unmanned delivery, etc., have gradually begun to be commercialized and embarked on the road to support themselves. Looking back at these new means of transportation or new mobile spaces, they have entered a new stage and journey. However, the cool flying car still maintains a cool posture and is trapped in the quagmire of commercialization.

Even today, flying cars are still an advanced concept product. Many companies at home and abroad have tried it, but there are only a few flying car companies in existence, and only a handful of flying cars can actually fly into the sky.

There are three main types of players participating in the flying car market: one is traditional aviation manufacturers such as Boeing, Airbus, Bell Helicopter, etc., and the other is traditional automobile manufacturers such as Audi, Toyota, Daimler, Geely, etc. Emerging startups include Germany's Lilium Jet, China's Ehang Intelligent, and Xiaopeng Motors.

There are relatively more market participants abroad, and most of them have begun to accept reservations, and various news about test flights can be seen frequently. However, there are only a handful of domestic companies participating. In early January this year, Geely's flying car obtained the world's first FAA airworthiness certificate. Geely Automobile began to deploy flying cars in 2017, when it acquired the American Terrafugia flying car company. In the year of the acquisition, Terrafugia launched its first flying car, Transition. Transition is a flying car that is consistent with our imagination, which can drive on the ground and fly in the air. Today, Geely's flying car has been updated to two generations.

Ehang Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. is a domestic company that has been engaged in the development of flying cars for a long time. Strictly speaking, Ehang Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. actually makes manned aircraft, and the mass-produced products that have been realized are wheelless aircraft. Ehang Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. has been committed to the research and development of aircraft for many years. Recently, at the 13th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, it exhibited a two-seat manned autonomous aircraft VT-30, which can carry two passengers, has a designed range of 300 kilometers and a flight time of 100 minutes. It is a product with a long flight range, while the flight time of ordinary civilian helicopters is generally 3-5 hours.

Xiaopeng's flying car released its sixth generation product at the recent 1024 Technology Exhibition. The newly displayed flying car has two modes: land driving and flying. Xiaopeng has been planning flying cars for seven years, and has updated new product categories almost every year. At the Air Expo, Xiaopeng's flying car Traveler X2 also landed at the air show. The product can carry two people, has a flight time of 35 minutes, is suitable for low altitudes below 1,000 meters, and has a maximum speed of 130km/h.

We can see that although there have been new products in the industry, the flight endurance of most flying car products is not satisfactory. Few companies have the ability to receive orders, and commercialization is even more difficult. Most flying cars on the market are basically in the test flight stage, and these flying car manufacturers are in the difficult climbing process.

It's so hard to stand shoulder to shoulder with the sun

As a product that subverts tradition, the development of flying cars cannot be achieved overnight. In the commercial process, problems such as scenarios, safety, endurance, and legislation need to be solved. After years of development, the problems of flying cars have not been solved until now. The main limitations are in the following aspects:

1. In terms of technology, in terms of driving power, electric drive cannot support long-term flight, and the flight time is short. In terms of safety, the integrated land and air design needs to take into account the safety of both road driving and flying modes, which puts high demands on the operating system and response capabilities of the flying car.

2. In terms of policy, the country has very strict control over airspace. The drones that were seen everywhere a few years ago are now mostly banned from flying. This restrictive policy attitude towards low-altitude areas does not seem to be a good story when extended to the field of flying cars. It will take a long period of collaborative communication for companies and governments to explore the integration of urban traffic airspace.

3. The cost is high. For ordinary people who are struggling to survive, flying cars can easily cost millions of dollars, which is too far from large-scale commercialization. Ordinary people will probably experience flying cars as flying taxis or for sightseeing and entertainment. Owning a flying car is the privilege of the rich.

4. In terms of scenarios, the areas where flying cars can truly be applied are niche. Flying cars want to solve the congestion problem on conventional roads, but conventional roads cannot open up convenient take-off and landing platforms for flying cars alone. When flying cars fly at low altitudes, their wings are spread out, occupying a large space and causing considerable noise, which brings a very bad experience to the surrounding cars and people.

The challenge of flying cars in the sky is not only the limitations of the performance and safety of the flying cars themselves, but also the related supporting measures need to be completed so that the cars can fly smoothly. In the short term, the technology of flying cars in the sky is basically passed. If we continue to study the endurance problem, there will be no major obstacles to breaking the endurance limit if there is enough time. However, after the restrictions on safety and endurance are lifted, flying on the road is still a problem. For example, there is no sufficient take-off and landing space for flying cars on the main road, and the airspace will not be open to flying cars for the time being. The flying cars in the sky are estimated to bring a nightmare experience to the airspace control. If used in suburbs or parks with few people, the scope of application will be greatly limited. This setting makes owning a flying car destined to be a game for the rich, and a luxury toy has nothing to do with the general public. The application scenarios of flying cars need to open up new ideas. In addition to being used in remote suburbs and parks, the functions need to be innovated so that they can also be used in emergency and security fields, and even used by the military.

There is hope for immigration to Mars, and there is hope for going to the sky

The road to commercialization of flying cars is more difficult than any other means of transportation we know of. Despite a deep understanding of these issues, some companies are still stubbornly continuing to conduct in-depth research and development. Many people laugh at the behavior of these pioneers from the perspective of smart people.

Whether it is the recently hyped metaverse or the concept product of flying cars, whether it is a mixture of good and bad, most pioneers will ignore these noisy voices. Extreme creation requires extreme brains. When Musk was doing boring, immigrating to Mars, and making electric cars, many people thought it was just fantasy. But he has done it anyway. SpaceX can already carry people on space travel, and Tesla's market value has exceeded one trillion. After years of PR promotion by Musk, everyone thinks that immigrating to Mars is promising, and everyone hopes to see the day of Mars immigration in their lifetime.

If Mars immigrants have high hopes, how difficult is it to get cars into space? We have also sensed a familiar taste in the development of flying cars, and many people are mocking this kind of money-burning behavior. For the pioneers of technology and products, no matter how much resources they spend on trying, please give them space, keep watching and be friendly, and support with ideas is free.

I believe everyone has seen the recent hot search news that a Japanese flying motorcycle has already taken to the sky. This flying motorcycle can fly for 40 minutes at a speed of 100 km per hour. In the video, the driver's control is also relatively stable. Riding this thing to the sky is really very eye-catching, but the price is not beautiful at all, and each unit is priced at more than 4.3 million yuan. Although the cost is high, the flying motorcycle has successfully taken to the sky, and some wealthy manufacturers are willing to pay for it. According to this trend, it seems that flying cars will not be far away from taking to the sky to show off.

In the future, intelligent flying cars may not require a driver's license. Unmanned driving technology will be transplanted in parallel, supplemented by aviation operating systems, and large-scale flying cars will be able to fly. It's just that we need time to wait, which may take ten or twenty years. Flying cars may not just stop at solving traffic problems, but will also expand to many scenarios. Maybe everyone will have the opportunity to ride. Although we may not be able to own a flying car in the future, it is also good to have the experience of flying.