Chinese flying cars more commercially viable than Tesla’s Roadster, says Xpeng executive

Flying cars developed by Chinese companies are by design more feasible for commercial use than Tesla’s Roadster, according to an executive at Xpeng, after a recent demonstration by the US tech giant sparked discussion about tech leadership in mainland China.

Wang Tan, co-founder of Aridge, the affiliate of Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Xpeng, said Chinese companies had adopted different technologies than Tesla did.

While the Roadster’s mid-air flip and successful landing as seen in a live stream earlier this month was impressive, its jet-like configuration required high-pressure storage tanks, which severely limited cabin seating and application environments, Tan said.

Moreover, the Roadster’s flight time was limited to a few seconds as the cold-gas pressure in the storage tanks depletes rapidly, whereas an Xpeng aircraft can stay in the air for about 20 minutes, Wang told the South China Morning Post in an interview on Thursday.

“I think that in the future, [Roadster] may not serve as a vehicle for air travel,” said Wang. “But what we’re developing, it’s foreseeable that it will be able to fly for longer periods and become a viable mode of transport.”

The adoption of different technologies is the key reason. Aridge, formerly known as AeroHT, employed multiple rotors in its flying car which enabled it to hover while the high-density battery supported a longer flight, Wang noted.

Xpeng’s Land Aircraft Carrier, which combines an aircraft and an off-road vehicle as a power bank, has the potential to expand the application beyond sightseeing to emergency rescue and industrial maintenance in offshore wind farms or oil platforms, he added.

Besides the multirotor configuration used by Xpeng, the electric aircraft developed by Shanghai Volant Aerotech and Aerofugia, a sister company of Geely Auto Group, use compound wings and a tilt-rotor, respectively, which can ensure higher speeds or longer flight times in the commercialisation stage.

The successful flight of Tesla’s Roadster triggered a debate on Chinese social media over whether the US tech giant was ahead of its Chinese rivals in flying car technology, with state media including Communist Party mouthpiece the People’s Daily calling for confidence in the country’s EV industry.

Xpeng chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng said in a post on his personal WeChat account that although Roadster provided a new solution, the feasibility of all flying cars was still subject to safety, security, flying times, and regulatory certification.

Wang said he expected Xpeng’s aircraft to achieve even longer flight times in future as battery energy density increased and lightweight materials continued to be improved, which would be the “biggest difference” from Tesla’s Roadster.

“Once [flying cars] start serving a more practical purpose, it may go from being a fun toy to becoming a tool,” Wang concluded.

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However, Wang acknowledged that Xpeng’s application for a safety approval certificate issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China was proceeding slower than expected.

But he pledged that the firm would double down on proving the product’s safety to win a regulatory nod.

Carrying a price tag of 2 million yuan (US$300,000), Xpeng has received more than 7,000 orders from around the world since presales launched in December 2024.

Aridge delivered its first Land Aircraft Carrier to the United Arab Emirates earlier this month, according to an announcement on October 20.

However, as Chinese certification is also required for overseas sales, the aircraft cannot be legally flown by customers yet.