Flying car crash at China air show rehearsal sparks safety concerns

Two flying cars have collided during an airshow rehearsal in Changchun, China, causing a fire. Photo / Getty Images

Two flying cars have collided during an airshow rehearsal in China designed as a showcase for the technology.

After the mid-air crash, one of the vehicles fell to the ground and caught fire on impact, with reports that a pilot was injured.

Footage circulating on Chinese state-run media showed the two futuristic vehicles performing air stunts in close formation. The video then cuts to a fire engulfing the wreckage of one of the vehicles as ambulances race to the scene.

The accident occurred on Tuesday in Changchun, in the northeastern province of Jilin, as the city geared up for a five-day airshow to begin tomorrow.

The flying cars, also known as electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles, were developed by Xpeng AeroHT, one of the largest flying car companies in Asia and a subsidiary of Chinese electric vehicle (EV) giant Xpeng.

The company blamed the collision on “insufficient spacing” and said an investigation was ongoing.

In a statement to CNN, it said that one vehicle “sustained fuselage damage and caught fire upon landing”.

“All personnel at the scene are safe, and local authorities have completed on-site emergency measures in an orderly manner,” it added.

However, CNN, citing an employee, reported that one person had sustained minor injuries.

The eVTOL vehicles are expected to be sold for roughly £220,000 ($505,311) each. Xpeng AeroHT reported in January it had already received 3000 orders for them.

The incident underscores concerns over the safety of flying cars and the significant challenges ahead before they can be brought to the market.

Flying cars are a central component of China’s plans to dominate what Beijing calls the “low-altitude economy”, a fast-growing sector in the airspace below 3000m, involving drone deliveries, air taxis, and other unmanned aerial services.

The sector is expected to be worth £150b this year, according to China’s civil aviation regulator, and could rise to a market size of £351b by 2035.

However, it faces major hurdles, including insufficient infrastructure, such as take-off and landing sites, regulatory challenges, technological reliability and public acceptance.

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