© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Chinese Tesla competitor unveils plans for flying car

Xpeng released designs of the flying car, pictured, taking flight above The Alps.
Xpeng
/
Xpeng
Xpeng released designs of the flying car, pictured, taking flight above The Alps.

Chinese electric vehicle company Xpeng has unveiled designs of what could be the world's first flying car.

More than 500 companies are reportedly working on similarly designed vehicles, and roughly two-dozen are already in testing phases. Xpeng, considered to be a rival to the U.S. brand Tesla, shared designs of the full-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVToL) flying car at its fourth annual Tech Day in Guangzhou, China, on Oct. 24. The electric car, according to the company, completed a maiden flight and several tests.

"Driven by our vision of 'tech for the greater good' and customers' evolving demands, we continue to reach technical breakthroughs and set new industry benchmarks," Xpeng chairman and CEO, He Xiaopeng, said at the event.

In videos made available to the public, a prototype of the flying car can be seen mid-flight before landing back onto the ground. An additional teaser video of the model shows propellers, which resemble a helicopter's wings, situated on top of the car extending outward before retracting back.

The eVToL flying car is designed to resemble a normal car when in driving mode. The steering wheel and a right-hand gear lever are used to control it once in the air and in "flight mode."

The flying car is just one of several breakthroughs the company shared during its Tech Day. Xpeng also shared other advancements in driver assistance technology and robotaxis.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Giulia Heyward
Giulia Heyward is a weekend reporter for Digital News, based out of New York. She previously covered education and other national news as a reporting fellow at The New York Times and as the national education reporter at Capital B News. She interned for POLITICO, where she covered criminal justice reform in Florida, and CNN, as a writer for the trends & culture team. Her work has also been published in The Atlantic, HuffPost and The New Republic.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

Related Content