A Chinese company known for its electric vehicles has broken ground on a potentially revolutionary facility that could help change the face of transit forever.
According to Electrek, AeroHT, the flying vehicle arm of EV manufacturer XPeng, broke ground on a facility in China capable of producing 10,000 of the company's vehicles each year.
AeroHT has shown off two models of flying vehicles, the X3, which is a car that can drive, park, and take off on its own, and the flying component of a modular vehicle called the Land Aircraft Carrier. The latter contains and carries a separate flying EV in its rear. The new 180,000-square-meter (1.9 million-square-foot) facility will be the world's first to apply modern assembly line techniques for flying car production, according to AeroHT.
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"This manufacturing base adheres to the principles of exquisite, intelligence, and green, establishing a global benchmark for flying car production," AeroHT founder Zhao Deli said in a media release.
Currently, the Land Aircraft Carrier flying module and X3 are both in the process of manned test flights after achieving airworthiness certification. The Land Aircraft Carrier, in particular, recently completed its maiden manned voyage, and it is expected to debut publicly at the China Airshow in late 2024.
Deliveries of the cars have been delayed until 2026, according to Electrek, but presales of the vehicles are expected to start by the end of this year.
Electric vehicles continue to become more and more popular overall thanks to the cost savings they offer in the long run, and more brands may be shifting that way. Legendary manufacturer Ferrari recently announced it will be shifting to electric models in the future, while Mini unveiled two new EVs at the Paris Auto Show earlier this year. Even Mercedes-Benz has unveiled an EV model that is turning heads with its incredible driving range.
While there has been some criticism of how truly green the process of mining for and creating EV batteries actually is, those theories have been largely debunked by research. AeroHT's electric vertical take-off or landing vehicles (eVTOLs) join a growing demand for electric craft that support a cleaner future.
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