Recently, at the Shenzhen Talent Park Square, a two seater manned aircraft with a water droplet shaped appearance was parked, waiting to fly around the Shenzhen CBD.
After 5 minutes of takeoff, a safe landing was achieved, and the rare actual flight scene of the aircraft attracted a large influx of people. This is the manned aircraft Traveler X2 independently developed by Xiaopeng Huitian Quanzhan.
"I love flying and also want more people to experience the joy of flying," Zhao Deli, founder and president of Xiaopeng Huitian, said in a recent interview with Dahe Finance Cube reporters. This expectation requires the company's products to move towards commercialization.
Starting a business for more than ten years, grinding a "flying dream"
In 2024, known as the first year of the "low altitude economy" in the industry, many low altitude enterprises have emerged, and Xiaopeng Huitian is one of them. From appearing at the auto show, Zhou Hongyi's live broadcast room, to flying around the Shenzhen CBD, Xiaopeng Huitian vigorously showcases the latest achievements in exploring low altitude travel, all of which originate from Zhao Deli's love for flying.
In 1998, at the age of 20, Zhao Deli came to work in Dongguan. He worked in a factory, sold insurance, and opened a restaurant. His first bucket of gold was selling drones on Taobao. At that time, he was obsessed with aircraft models and dreamed of creating a manned low altitude aircraft, just like the flying motorcycle ridden by the Black Cat Sheriff.
With a "flying dream" in mind, in 2013, Zhao Deli founded Dongguan Huitian Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Huitian) in Dongguan and began developing the first generation of aircraft. After 5 years of polishing and over 1500 unmanned test flights, Zhao Deli began his own test flights. "I have fallen three times, one of which was a comminuted fracture of three fingers in my left foot."
Recalling his entrepreneurial journey, Zhao Deli referred to the years from 2016 to 2018 as the darkest moments of his life. Developing aircraft not only consumes manpower, but also funds. After burning up personal assets, the Huitian Capital Chain broke.
Until 2018, Huitian Aircraft took off and raised new funds. In 2020, Huitian entered a stage of standardized and rapid development. At that time, Zhao Deli met He Xiaopeng, Chairman and CEO of Xiaopeng Motors, and invited him to test fly the aircraft. With its hardcore products and forward-looking layout, Huitian ultimately obtained a large amount of financing from He Xiaopeng.
In September 2020, Guangdong Huitian Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Xiaopeng Huitian) was officially established, jointly invested and controlled by He Xiaopeng and Xiaopeng Automobile. According to the Tianyancha App, He Xiaopeng holds 60.1% of the shares and is the actual controller of Xiaopeng Huitian, while Zhao Deli holds 15% of the shares. Both sides joined hands and laid the foundation for Xiaopeng Huitian to launch a heavyweight product called "Land Aircraft Carrier" in the future.
Full stack self-developed "land aircraft carrier", pre-sale in the fourth quarter
"After the development of autonomous driving, where will cars continue to move forward?" When asked why the "land aircraft carrier" split type flying car was launched, Zhao Deli said that as new energy vehicles become increasingly mature in autonomous driving, it is better to let cars "grow" wings and become more electric and intelligent in the future.
In addition to unlocking the test flight of the Traveler X2 in various regions, as the first low altitude enterprise in China to layout a split type aircraft, Xiaopeng Huitian will also focus on pre-sales of "land aircraft carrier" split type vehicles this year.
According to the introduction, the "land aircraft carrier" is divided into two parts that can be automatically separated and combined: the "land-based body" and the "flying body". The appearance of the land-based body is a three axle six wheel design car, and the flying body is an aircraft that can carry two people. The land-based body can store the flying body inside the car.
Safety is the primary consideration for flying cars. Zhao Deli bluntly stated that pure unmanned low altitude aircraft can easily become "foolish" if their communication links are disrupted. However, in terms of core technology, the company has independently developed the entire stack. For example, the flight body of the "Land Carrier" adopts a pure electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, a distributed electric propulsion system, and the land-based body is equipped with an extended range electric drive power system, which can provide multiple energy replenishment and charging for the flight body.
"The aircraft has 6 or 8 rotors, and is also equipped with 3 sets of flight control and navigation systems and 2 battery packs. When the aircraft encounters sudden failures of 1 to 2 rotors during flight, protective equipment can make the aircraft crash, and the other layer of support is the complete parachute." Zhao Deli said that when developing the flying body, the company also minimizes its dependence on the surrounding environment.
The reporter learned that the "land aircraft carrier" will start booking in the fourth quarter of this year, and if the plan goes smoothly, small batch deliveries will begin by the end of 2025. It is worth mentioning that in March of this year, the Type Certificate of Conformity (TC) of the aircraft body was accepted, indicating that the model is about to enter the airworthiness certification stage and is further away from mass production. In addition, its terrestrial body will also be jointly developed with Xiaopeng Automobile to obtain evidence according to the relevant automotive procedures.
Henan can rely on local advantages to layout low altitude limited scenes
With the rapid development of low altitude economy, the commercial operation of flying cars remains a focus of public attention. Recently, Guangzhou issued an implementation plan for low altitude economy, proposing to build more than 100 new takeoff and landing points for regular use, and promoting Guangzhou to become the first commercial operating city for manned flights.
As a "land aircraft carrier" that can run and fly, what scenarios will it be applied to? Qiu Mingquan, Vice President of Xiaopeng Huitian, told Dahe Finance Cube reporters that for C-end users, "land aircraft carriers" can land in the following scenarios: firstly, as a new leisure way to meet the user's personal flight experience; The second is to meet the needs of cultural and tourism, and apply it to scenic spots for sightseeing and sightseeing; The third is to meet the needs of public services such as emergency response, rescue, and firefighting. By the end of 2023, Xiaopeng Huitian had received a pre order of 100 units in this field.
On the commercial road of flying cars, what is more crucial is whether individuals can freely pilot aircraft? Qiu Mingquan pointed out that the "land aircraft carrier" has a flying body and the driver needs to obtain the corresponding license. Currently, the company is discussing with relevant departments and will provide users with clear driving instructions before mass production. In addition, the aircraft needs to be approved and reported in advance for its ascent to the sky. Last year, China released a draft of the airspace management regulations for soliciting opinions, and how to publish flight trajectories in the future is also one of the key directions of discussion in various regions.
Xiaopeng Huitian also proposed specific ideas, such as using onboard systems or apps, users can send flight plans, flight trajectories, etc. to the management, and after approval, they can freely navigate. Of course, this is only a preliminary idea, and in the future, it will need to be combined with relevant airspace policies.
"Building three-dimensional transportation is a trend that can greatly improve transportation and efficiency." Zhao Deli said that the low altitude economy, as a representative of new quality productivity, is conducive to driving a new round of industrial cluster development, forming a market of at least trillions of yuan, and becoming a new important engine of economic growth.
He believes that the era of low altitude economy will come faster than expected, for example, Shenzhen has already implemented grid management of low altitude economy, including planning how to fly drones, delivery planes, inspection planes, etc. "In other cities in the future, it is expected to see aircraft taking off in more scenarios."
When it comes to how Henan should rapidly develop its low altitude economy, Qiu Mingquan said that it can be based on four industrial layouts: low altitude new infrastructure, low altitude research and development and manufacturing, low altitude operation services, and low altitude flight support. In addition, limited scenarios such as cultural tourism, research and education, campsites, aviation airports, and logistics transportation can also be laid out, combined with the local industrial advantages of Henan, to vigorously develop the low altitude economy and drive a new round of industrial cluster development.