Flying cars take off in China

Henan Daily

Zhengzhou: Flying cars stole the spotlight at the 2025 Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition (Auto Shanghai 2025), which concluded May 2, giving visitors a glimpse of the future of transportation and leaving many spellbound.

The definition of flying cars has evolved in recent years and now broadly includes electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, or eVTOLs.

Interest in flying cars has soared this year, driven by rapid developments in aviation, new energy vehicles, 5G technology and artificial intelligence. China’s domestic flying car sector has built a strong industrial foundation, gaining an edge in technological innovation and equipment capabilities. Flying cars are gradually becoming a reality in the country.

On May 18, inside the laboratory of the AECC Aero Engine Control System Institute in Wuxi, east China’s Jiangsu Province, a motor spun rapidly on a test bench. As it gained speed, sensors registered a steady increase in internal temperature, yet the motor continued to run smoothly.

This next-generation integrated propulsion motor, independently developed by the institute, is designed to power pure-electric eVTOL models weighing 2 to 3 tonnes.

“This product was installed on a domestic 3-tonne tilt-rotor eVTOL last year, and the prototype was successfully completed with tethered test flights,” said Bai Wenfeng, general manager of the institute’s electric power department.

China’s eVTOL market is forecast to reach 50 billion yuan ($6.9 billion) by 2030, creating strong demand for motors and control systems, said Chen Fei, operations director of the institute’s electric power department.

According to a white paper by the China Society of Automotive Engineers, flying cars will begin entering the first phase of commercialization in 2025. By around 2035, intelligent eVTOLs are expected to be used on a large scale and become a major mode of low-altitude transportation.

By 2050, amphibious flying cars — capable of operating both on the ground and in the air — are projected to be widely adopted, integrating low-altitude and ground transportation as part of a three-dimensional intelligent transit system.

Traditional multi-rotor eVTOLs rely on electric motors, but while batteries can power electric vehicles for over 500 kilometers, they can only sustain a 20-minute flight for an eVTOL carrying one or two passengers. To overcome this limitation, Chinese research teams are exploring a range of new technological paths.

Southeast University’s Kunpeng No. 1, a flying car developed in Jiangsu Province, uses power batteries along with a range-extended electric propulsion system.

Compared with vehicles powered only by batteries, this system delivers more power, a longer range and greater reliability. It could push flight time from just 20 minutes to more than two hours. The technology is expected to be used in the next generation of flying cars.

XPeng AeroHT, a subsidiary of Chinese electric vehicle maker Xpeng, has developed a “land aircraft carrier,” a flying car made up of two parts: a ground module and an air module. The ground module operates as an electric vehicle, while the air module is an eVTOL — a flying craft with six propellers that can fold up and be stored when not in use.

“The ground module is a range-extended electric vehicle that can travel up to 1,000 kilometers. With a full charge, it can recharge the air module up to six times,” said an XPeng AeroHT representative.

Driven by technological breakthroughs and supportive policies, the flying car market is poised for significant growth.

According to a report from the China Low Altitude Economy Alliance, China could see more than 100 flying car companies by 2030, with the market potentially surpassing 1 trillion yuan.

“The opportunities are enormous,” said Zhao Shangbin, key account manager for east China at GAC Business Co.

In a recent milestone, Sichuan Aerofugia Technology Development Co. and Sichuan General Aviation Investment Management Co., a subsidiary of Sichuan Airlines Group, signed a strategic cooperation agreement.

The two companies will pool their resources to develop urban air mobility solutions, integrating civil aviation with low-altitude travel. Their partnership also includes collaboration on eVTOL flight testing and aircraft maintenance.

This marks the first collaboration between a Chinese eVTOL company and a civil aviation airline, representing a major step toward the commercial use of eVTOLs.

The two firms plan to jointly establish air shuttle routes linking airports with downtown Chengdu and nearby scenic spots in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, said Guo Liang, CEO and chief scientist of Aerofugia.

Guo said that by jointly developing demonstration projects for the low-altitude economy, a short-haul flight network would be established. Initial pilot programs will gradually expand to include passenger transport, emergency rescue and low-altitude tourism, broadening the reach of flying cars.

“Once large-scale operations begin, eVTOL trips are expected to cost about two to three times as much as premium ride-hailing services, but will reduce travel time by more than 80 percent,” said Fei Lan, Aerofugia’s chief marketing officer.

XPeng AeroHT’s Land Aircraft Carrier completed its maiden flight during a ceremony in Changde, in central China’s Hunan Province, on March 27, opening up new possibilities for low-altitude transport and tourism.

As industries tied to the low-altitude economy continue to expand into three-dimensional transportation, laws and regulations governing flying car operations are also being refined.