The 'low altitude economy' has become a hot topic, how far is it from 'flying' t

Entering 2024, the concept of "low altitude economy" continues to be mentioned, and related "flying cars" are also frequently trending. Following Luo Yonghao's live broadcast of the "air taxi", the newly rising star Zhou Hongyi has also set his sights on flying cars and even personally visited the Xiaopeng Flying Car live broadcast room.

While occupying the high ground of public opinion topics, the "flying car" that once only existed in science fiction movies has gradually "flown into ordinary people's homes" with the efforts of various parties.

Low altitude economy becomes the new favorite of policies, with flying cars taking the lead

Policies have always been the compass and stabilizer of market development. At present, when the market has not yet formed a large-scale development, policies involving low altitude economy have already taken the lead.

In this year's government work report, the low altitude economy was mentioned along with commercial aerospace, biomanufacturing, and life sciences, with a sudden increase in popularity and industry attention.

In fact, the concept of "low altitude economy" is not a new phenomenon, as it was proposed in 2010. It has always been lukewarm until it was widely mentioned again in the past two years.

In February 2021, the National Comprehensive Three dimensional Transportation Network Planning Outline included "low altitude economy" in the national development plan. At the Central Economic Work Conference in December 2023, the low altitude economy was once again elevated to the level of a "strategic emerging industry".

Since 2024, more than ten provinces and cities including Beijing, Nanjing, Anhui, Shenzhen, and Suzhou have released action plans or draft opinions related to low altitude economy. Among them, Chongqing, Anhui, Suzhou, Guangzhou and other places have also launched low altitude economic industry funds, with the largest total scale reaching 20 billion yuan.

The reason for this should be related to the popularity of flying cars. As a sub segment of the low altitude economy industry, flying cars have attracted major car companies and technology giants in recent years. For example, Boeing, Airbus, the traditional aircraft manufacturing giants, Porsche, Toyota, Xiaopeng, GAC, and Internet companies Google, Intel, Tencent, etc.

Not only that, but many policies have also clearly stated the need to support the development of flying cars. For example, the "Action Plan for Promoting High Quality Development of Low altitude Economy Industry in Beijing (2024-2027) (Draft for Comments)" points out the need to explore new business models of using split type flying vehicles for intercity commuting and urban shuttle services.

The Implementation Plan for Accelerating the Cultivation and Development of Low altitude Economy in Anhui Province (2024-2027) and Several Measures also point out that cities with conditions are encouraged to explore and develop new short distance commercial transportation models such as eVTOL aircraft.

Soaring with wings, the development of flying cars in China is imperative

In fact, policy support for the development of low altitude economy and flying cars is also inevitable. As ground transportation becomes increasingly congested, future transportation is bound to develop towards the sky. As an important means of transportation, flying cars have significant advantages in both carrying passengers and cargo.

The scientific name of flying cars is "pure electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft", abbreviated as eVTOL in English. Due to its advantages such as flexible takeoff and landing, zero carbon emissions, quiet safety, and comfortable ride, eVTOL is suitable for point-to-point air logistics and air travel in cities.

However, looking at the products currently released or tested by various companies, the vast majority of eVTOLs do not look like cars. Essentially, they are aircraft that borrow the concept of cars. EVTOL flies lower than airplanes and faster than cars, like a 5-seater car with wings.

Moreover, the concept of "flying cars" is not new in recent years, and it can be said that its exploration and development have been accompanied by the development of the two major modes of transportation, automobiles and airplanes. It is reported that the world's first operable and practical flying car was invented by an American company called Terrafugia in 2009. This car is powered by gasoline and can fold up its wings while driving. Opening the wings can accelerate and take off.

I don't know if it was due to power reasons that the vehicle was never launched and the company was acquired by Geely in 2017. Although it was not successful, the experience can be drawn from its development that fuel engines are not very suitable for the development of flying cars.

Due to the complex technology and large volume and weight of internal combustion engines, electric motors are more suitable for providing power to flying cars due to their small size, low cost, and fast response. Thanks to the gradual improvement of electric vehicle technology, flying cars have attracted widespread attention from the industry in recent years.

More importantly, with a well-established electric vehicle industry chain and advanced three electric technology, China is expected to continue achieving curve overtaking in the field of flying cars. In terms of actual achievements, the first batch of "successful individuals" have emerged.

In May 2024, a Xiaopeng Huitian flying car named "Traveler X2" took off vertically from the sky above Shenzhen Talent Park Square, gracefully circling the park at an altitude of 30 meters, and using autonomous driving mode throughout the journey; In March, the "Traveler X2" also conducted test flights over the CBD of Guangzhou;

In May 2024, at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, the 2-ton cargo eVTOL V2000CG Kairui Ou independently developed by Shanghai Fengfei Aviation Technology completed its chartered flight;

In February 2024, the domestically produced 5-seater eVTOL peak flight "Shengshilong" successfully completed the first demonstration flight of the Shenzhen Zhuhai eVTOL cross sea and cross city route, reducing the one-way ground travel time of 2.5 to 3 hours to 20 minutes;

In December 2023, the manned AE200 electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle (eVTOL) developed by Wofei Changkong, a company under Geely Automobile that focuses on the research and commercial operation of global low altitude intelligent transportation aircraft, successfully completed its first test flight at the Wofei Changkong Hanyuan Comprehensive Test Flight Verification Base in Sichuan;

In June 2023, GAC Group's flying car "GOVE" completed its global maiden flight on "GAC Technology Day"

Of course, these are just the tip of the iceberg of current achievements in the field of flying cars. It can be seen that although the early market centers of flying cars were in Europe and America, in recent years, Chinese companies have mainly boldly attempted and adhered to market practices.

Moreover, China's new energy vehicles have achieved overtaking in the curve, giving us confidence that they can also lead global development, including in the field of flying cars.

Flying cars truly 'fly', commercialization difficulties still need to be solved

Of course, developing flying cars requires not only slogans, but also the ability to effectively solve problems. Similar to the development of many industries, the development of flying cars also faces many problems, especially the realization of their commercialization, which has become an unavoidable hurdle for practitioners.

In summary, the current obstacles to the landing of flying cars are mainly reflected in the following aspects:

Firstly, there is the issue of safety, which is also the core problem for the popularization of flying cars. At the climate and meteorological level, the low altitude below 1000 meters is located in the lower troposphere, where severe weather conditions such as clouds, fog, rain, and snow exist. There are also unpredictable "crosswinds" between urban high-rise buildings. If a flying car crashes in an accident, whether it hits the ground or a high-rise building, the damage caused is incalculable.

At the same time, in terms of software and information security, flying cars also have the hidden danger of being "hacked". This requires regulatory authorities to have a more cautious attitude.

Secondly, there is the issue of battery life. At present, the mass energy density of lithium-ion batteries is about 160Wh/kg, while the mass energy density of 92 octane gasoline is about 12700Wh/kg, which is the main reason why gasoline cars have a longer range than electric cars. When it comes to flying cars, there is also a problem of short range.

Once again, infrastructure construction is also a huge challenge. The takeoff and landing sites, charging facilities, existing airport renovations, and eVTOL pilot training for flying cars are all long-term and huge investments. The subsequent continuous airworthiness related inspections, repairs, and maintenance also require professional talents and equipment. There is currently no complete solution for these.

In addition, policies and regulations regarding the landing of flying cars are relatively lagging behind. There is currently no relevant review experience or unified management standards in airworthiness certification, operational management, and responsibility determination.

Naturally, the solution to the problem is not overnight, but requires the joint efforts of relevant government departments and industry enterprises. Fortunately, this process is slowly progressing.

For example, the policies released by various regions to promote the development of low altitude economy mentioned earlier involve supporting and strengthening the construction of low altitude infrastructure, including airspace networks, takeoff and landing sites, various platforms, etc., as well as improving flight support, regulatory systems, and strengthening innovation capacity building.

Fortunately, the advantages of new energy vehicles in China are also providing support for the development of flying cars, especially in the field of three electric products. China has a complete industrial chain and can achieve commercial applications, which is crucial for the development of flying cars. The most important 'heart' is in one's own hands, unlike in the era of gasoline cars where one is subject to others.

In addition, with the ongoing process of intelligence, the assistance of flying cars is also increasing, and it is just around the corner to truly "fly"!