Meet the six-wheel hybrid with an eVTOL in the trunk
Xpeng Aeroht presented its modular flying car at CES. This six-wheeled “land aircraft carrier” can travel off-road with an eVTOL and recharge it for flight at the same time.
This isn’t your average six-wheel hybrid giant car, if such a thing exists. This one has a surprise in the trunk. Have you ever wished you could carry your own personal flying machine in the trunk of your car? This land-based aircraft carrier from X-Pan Aero could be the answer. Due to their small size and the weight of EV batteries, most of the personal EV tolls we see are quite low and require some sort of separate trailer. To transport them to their take-off point. That’s where this six-wheeled mothership comes in. Not only is it designed to transport a two-seat personal flying machine off-road to any lookout you want to fly around, but it can also double as a charger. So when you arrive at your destination, the toll EV battery is full and ready to fly. Wong Tan, co-founder and vice-president of Expan Aero, tells me that the decision to make the mothership a hybrid vehicle was made to extend the range up to 1,000 kilometers or 621 miles. A full tank of gas and a full charge on the mothership can recharge the EV toll in the trunk up to 6 times. Regarding security. X-Man Aero says it’s a top priority. Redundancy is built into everything from the flight system to the controls. Under some propellers are duct fans, which can keep the plane stable if there is a problem with the propellers. A joystick is the primary control mechanism, and a set of buttons right next to it performs many of the same functions as a save. This time we didn’t get to sit inside the mothership, but Xant Aero let us into the EV toll module, which has already conducted manned test flights. As you can see, it’s pretty cozy here. I’m about 5’11 in change, so. I don’t hit my head on the roof. I have enough room for my feet. Um, that feels good. If you’re a few inches taller than me you might hit your head if I really stretch I might hit the roof but this thing has to be compact because it has to fit in your trunk. Personally, I have never seen anything like it. The closest thing visually I would say is the cybertruck due to the light bar on the front and the overall shape and color. However, XPin Aero’s modular flying car serves a very different purpose. In fact, I think this form follows function. The reason we have this design, I think, not just for who, I think it’s more for the capacity of this vehicle, for the extra weight and for its ability to go off-road. And secondly, we’re thinking about how to make it futuristic, like we’re bringing it from the future. Despite its sci-fi design, Xan Aero says it is not a concept car. They plan to mass produce it. They are working to obtain regulatory approval in China, already have over 3,000 orders planned and plan to begin delivery in 2026. The company announces the modular flying car. Will be available first in China for under $300,000 with hopes of expanding to other markets in the future. What do you think of the X-Pan Aero land-based aircraft carrier? Let us know in the comments. Thank you very much for watching. Subscribe to CNET for the latest and greatest tech news. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to leave.
