But their method may not work in the civil aviation industry, where safety concerns are taken more seriously than in the auto industry or drone industry.Īround the world, eVTOL - and the futuristic urban air mobility solutions they could enable - remain an exciting prospect with no immediate results.
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They operate with an internet company mindset, which is rapid reiteration and trial and error," said Liu. "Those outside unfamiliar with the aviation industry don't act in the traditional way. Currently in China, no such certificate has been given to any eVTOL companies in fact, the criteria for handing out a certificate has not been updated to accommodate eVTOL technologies, meaning companies can't apply for one even if they want to. In any country, developing an aircraft needs to go through rigid processes of getting an airworthiness certificate. These firms represent a disruptive force in an industry that's traditionally more prudent when designing new products. Zhao Deli was an amateur model-airplane fan before founding the company HT Aero, which was acquired by XPeng and developed the product released last week. EHang, China's leading eVTOL company, listed on Nasdaq, started with consumer drone products. The low technological barriers and strong commercial potential have attracted startups with little civil aviation experience. It's less likely to break, its maintenance costs are low and it consumes electricity instead of gas."
"The number of parts in an eVTOL is about one-thirtieth the number of parts in a traditional civil aircraft," Louis Liu, founder of aviation and maritime tech consulting firm DAP Technologies, told Protocol.
Much like how EVs have posed a serious challenge to traditional cars, eVTOLS are changing the industry of civil aviation. Observers say companies like XPeng may have the advantage in attracting media and investor interest, but ultimately, they are being too optimistic about the aircraft industry and its regulators, both of which act at a more prudent but slower pace than their automotive counterparts. With the only VTOL-specific standards in the world proposed recently in Europe, no one knows how long the regulatory approval process in China could take. In particular, eVTOLs are regulated as aircraft, meaning they need to undergo a different set of safety tests than cars. But despite interest in the capital markets, there are many obstacles before an eVTOL product can make it into the skies. Startups born this year are raising millions of dollars in seed funding while those with a few more years have received up to $500 million. So far, it looks like the pessimists are more likely right.Ģ021 has seen China's VTOL industry, especially new "eVTOL" models powered by electricity, growing steadily. Above everything, people are asking whether the promise of rolling them out in 2024 is realistic or over-optimistic. Suddenly, everyone in China is talking about flying cars, or Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) aircraft, as they are more formally known. With two big propellers and a sci-fi design, XPeng's new product resembles a cross between a drone, a helicopter and an electric car.
24, it released a new product: a flying car that it says will enter mass production in 2024. While Elon Musk is launching rockets to space, Chinese electric vehicle company XPeng - a prominent domestic challenger to Tesla - is aiming for a lower altitude. On either side of the Pacific Ocean, tech companies seem to have an obsession with the sky.
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