The Land Aircraft Carrier’s integrated AI systems analyze both ground and aerial environments simultaneously. Chinese flying car pioneer XPE...
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| The Land Aircraft Carrier’s integrated AI systems analyze both ground and aerial environments simultaneously. |
The Land Aircraft Carrier consists of two modules — a six-wheeled electric mothership and a detachable air module. The mothership runs on an EREV 800V platform (Extended-Range Electric Vehicle) capable of delivering an impressive 1,000 km range. Its high-capacity battery and onboard power management system can recharge the detachable aircraft module multiple times, enabling extended air operations without external charging stations.
“Our goal is to bridge the gap between road and sky,” said XPENG AeroHT CEO Zhao Deli. “This vehicle redefines mobility — it’s not just about driving or flying; it’s about fluid motion across both domains.”
The detachable air module is crafted from lightweight carbon-fiber composite materials and unfolds into a six-rotor eVTOL (electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing) aircraft. The design prioritizes compactness, safety, and aerodynamic efficiency. When docked, the rotors fold neatly into the body for smooth integration with the mothership, maintaining the vehicle’s sleek silhouette for on-road driving.
In flight mode, the eVTOL offers both a single-stick manual control system for human pilots and a fully autonomous flight suite with one-click takeoff, AI-assisted route planning, real-time collision avoidance, and precision landing. The system leverages multiple cameras, radar, and LiDAR to achieve centimeter-level accuracy during vertical takeoff and redocking.
Upon completing a flight, the air module automatically navigates back to the mothership using computer vision and docking algorithms. Once within proximity, magnetic and mechanical systems engage to ensure exact alignment. The process is fully automated, taking less than a minute from touchdown to full reattachment. As soon as it reconnects, the mothership’s battery management system initiates an auto-recharge sequence, ensuring the eVTOL is flight-ready at all times. This capability effectively turns the Land Aircraft Carrier into a self-sufficient mobile launchpad for repeated aerial missions.
Performance
The 800V EREV system allows the mothership to travel over 1,000 kilometers per charge cycle, combining a high-density lithium-ion battery with an efficient onboard generator for continuous power supply. Fast charging supports up to 480kW inputs, refilling 80% of the battery in under 30 minutes using XPENG’s fast-charging network. The air module’s six-rotor configuration provides balanced lift and redundancy, ensuring stable flight even in the event of rotor failure. It can carry two passengers or up to 200 kilograms of payload at a cruising speed of 130 km/h and a maximum altitude of 1,000 meters.
Safety
The Land Aircraft Carrier’s integrated AI systems analyze both ground and aerial environments simultaneously. On land, its Level 4 autonomous driving system handles urban navigation, adaptive cruise, and obstacle avoidance. In the air, GrokFlight AI™ manages dynamic routing and safety monitoring. Safety mechanisms include multiple redundancies — backup batteries, fail-safe flight controls, and a ballistic parachute system for the air module. The mothership is also equipped with emergency braking, 360° radar vision, and adaptive traction control for all six wheels.
Designs
The vehicle’s aesthetics blend futuristic minimalism with aerospace engineering. Its aerodynamic body features retractable flight bay doors, smart LED lighting, and panoramic glass roofing. The cabin is designed as a smart mobility lounge, with adaptive seating, noise cancellation, and immersive AR interfaces for navigation and flight status.
When docked, the eVTOL’s cockpit integrates seamlessly with the mothership’s dashboard, transforming into a unified control environment where drivers can monitor both terrestrial and aerial parameters on a single digital display. XPENG’s new mobility operating system, XOS Aero 3.0, powers both modules. The system connects to XPENG’s Smart Cabin ecosystem, offering real-time weather data, route optimization, and air traffic awareness. Through the XPENG mobile app, users can schedule takeoffs, preheat cabins, monitor battery levels, and receive air clearance notifications.
The OS also supports cloud-based learning, meaning every user flight improves the AI’s performance globally. XPENG plans to open APIs for third-party app integration, allowing developers to create navigation, tourism, and delivery services directly compatible with the system.
Commercial applications
While the initial rollout is aimed at high-net-worth private owners, XPENG AeroHT sees vast potential in logistics, emergency response, and smart city transport. Emergency services could deploy the Land Aircraft Carrier for rapid response, medical evacuation, or disaster relief operations, while luxury travel companies could use it for door-to-door air commutes. The company also envisions integration with future urban vertiports, enabling eVTOLs to interchange between private and shared mobility networks — similar to how electric cars use charging stations today.
Despite its promise, XPENG faces regulatory hurdles. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) is still developing certification pathways for consumer-grade eVTOLs, while air traffic control systems must adapt to handle high volumes of low-altitude urban flights. XPENG AeroHT has been actively collaborating with CAAC and municipal governments to define safety corridors and geofencing zones for testing. Another key challenge is infrastructure — while the mothership can operate independently, large-scale adoption will require maintenance facilities, vertiports, and digital airspace management systems to support continuous operation across Chinese cities.
XPENG’s innovation places it in direct competition with global players such as Joby Aviation, Lilium, and EHang, though none have achieved the same dual-module integration of road and air systems. Analysts suggest XPENG’s approach — merging automotive scalability with aviation-grade safety — could give China a decisive lead in the race to mass-produce flying vehicles.
XPENG AeroHT’s roadmap extends beyond individual vehicles. The company envisions an ecosystem of interconnected Land Aircraft Carriers forming a distributed aerial network, where vehicles communicate autonomously to manage traffic flow and share energy resources. This could lead to smart aerial highways that coordinate flight patterns in real time using cloud-based synchronization.
In the long term, XPENG aims to extend the platform’s capability to intercontinental travel using hybrid propulsion systems and high-efficiency batteries, potentially transforming the concept of personal mobility into a true multimodal experience.
