Xpeng’s Land Aircraft Carrier Is Part Minivan, Part Flying Car

Xpeng is taking the “van of the future” concept to a whole new level. The Chinese tech company has unveiled a six-wheel minivan - now called the Land Aircraft Carrier - that comes with a fully functional eVTOL aircraft tucked in the back. While brands like Lexus are still daydreaming about flying cars, Xpeng is aiming to start delivering to customers later this year.

Originally called the AeroHT, the Land Aircraft Carrier is built under Xpeng’s new Aridge division, which focuses on aerial vehicles.

The van is designed to transport and house Xpeng’s electric vertical takeoff-and-landing aircraft. Both the van and its matching eVTOL are being produced at a dedicated facility in Guangzhou. Xpeng plans to start with 5,000 units per year and eventually double that. To keep things simple, only three paint options will be offered: Stellar Silver, Moonrock Gray, and Supernova White.

The whole package (van plus flying car) will start at around 2 million yuan, or roughly $287,000. The van itself measures about 5.5 meters long, 2 meters wide, and 2 meters tall. It’s big, but still manageable considering it’s carrying a full-size aircraft in the back. Cleverly, the van’s trunk doubles as a charging station for the eVTOL.

Details on the van’s powertrain are limited, but we know it runs on an 800-volt system and uses a range-extender setup, aiming for over 620 miles per charge.

The aircraft is mostly carbon fiber, with six rotors and local airworthiness certification. That said, a pair of prototypes collided during a rehearsal flight last September. One crashed and caught fire, though thankfully nobody was hurt. While Xpeng has obviously learned from the incident, it’s the kind of story that might make some early buyers nervous.

All told, it’s a bold, futuristic vision - part minivan, part flying car - and whether it’s genius or slightly crazy.