Flying Cars and Bizarre Vans: China's AeroHT Takes a Wild Stab at the Future

Picture this: you're whizzing down the highway in what looks like a tricked-out sports car, a gust of wind touches your face, and suddenly you're not driving anymore, but flying. The latest flight of fancy, you wonder? Nope, it’s China’s AeroHT taking another unconventional leap at flying cars.

Back in 2021, when Xpeng, the youthful and audacious electric car manufacturer, said they'd be throwing a whopping half a billion US clams into a new flying car segment, I had a good chuckle. I thought they'd misplaced a decimal or two. But a year later, the jest was on us. They introduced the X3 flying car, which, to my incredulous eyes, looked like a racy hatchback accessorized with a gargantuan drone.

However, the recent reveal from AeroHT had me scratching my head and adjusting my bifocals. At Xpeng Tech Day 2023, they unveiled the "Land Aircraft Carrier" - a term as perplexing as its six-wheel-drive, gray panel van design. No, it doesn’t fly. Instead, this Mad Max-inspired behemoth acts as a chic mobile hangar for a two-seater eVTOL multicopter. 

Picture this: the van gracefully squats (as gracefully as a van can squat), then birthed from its rear – in a sequence that would make any Transformer green with envy – out pops the multicopter. It takes off in quite the spectacle. But here's the twist – this van isn't just for show. Packed with a hybrid power system, it promises to juice up the flying machine multiple times. Seating four to five folks, you can pick up your airborne friends wherever they choose to land. I’m unsure if I’m in awe or amusement – perhaps both. 

But the fun didn't end there. An updated flying supercar was showcased, taking us on a whirlwind tour of what could be our vehicular future. With an elongated roof that graciously makes way for its flight gear, this is the lovechild of a sleek sports car and, well, an ambitious drone.

While I revel in dreams of airborne cars, a touch of skepticism has me tethered. Remember the laws of physics? Sure, while this car can theoretically take to the skies, the battery tech has me doubting. With all that fancy folding and street-legality gear, if this flying car manages to soar for 44 miles (roughly 70 km), I’ll eat my leather driving gloves.

Lastly, for the tech nerds and daredevils, AeroHT showcased their low-altitude ballistic parachute system – safely descending from just 164 feet (about 50 m). It's like having a safety net, but for the sky.

AeroHT, with their outlandish imagination, is an exhilarating wild card in the eVTOL realm. Here's waiting for their next surprise – while clutching my helmet and chuckling with anticipation.

Yours truly,

Captain Electro