How China’s EV Success Is Boosting Its eVTOL Industry

Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOLs), such as Electric Flying Cars, Electric Air Taxis, Passenger Drones, Cargo eVTOLs, Lift-and-Cruise eVTOLs, Multicopter, and Tilt-Rotor, are the next gen futuristic inventions. But it's heartbreaking that technical and regulatory scrutinies have prevented the adoptability of these flying vehicles globally.

However, some Chinese companies are handling things differently with their skilled and advanced knowledge in electric vehicle (EV) technology. The companies are building on rapid development of drones and EVs, while also making use of government support for the futuristic inventions. China’s experience and leadership in the electric car industry is giving these companies a big advantage in building and launching flying cars successfully.

Zhang Yangjun, a professor at Tsinghua University's School of Vehicle and Mobility said that China is in a strong position to become a global leader in flying cars because it has cost control at its disposal in sense that the country can produce high-tech products more cheaply than many other countries.

In addition to that, China also has efficient supply chain at its disposal in sense that there are already a powerful manufacturing network for batteries, motors, electronics, and EV components. In essence, Zhang Yangjun cited that future competition in flying cars (eVTOLs) will be won by the countries that can build them faster, cheaper, and more efficiently, and these are areas where China holds clear advantages.

Inside a bright, modern factory in Guangzhou, automated robots move quickly across the floor, carrying parts from one station to another. Engineers are assembling a lightweight aircraft with six propellers that can lift off vertically. This flying unit is designed to fit into a larger car-like vehicle, creating what XPeng’s Aridge division calls the “Land Aircraft Carrier”—a modular system where the car and aircraft work together.

An engineer inspecting the propellers of a boxy two-seater aircraft at a factory of Xpeng's subsidiary Aridge.

The flying module is kept and recharged inside a mobile ground vehicle known as “the mothership.” The factory is built for speed, capable of producing one complete unit every 30 minutes when running at full capacity. Aridge began trial production in early November and expects to start delivering these vehicles next year. According to the company, more than 7,000 customers have already placed pre-orders.

Technical and Regulatory Challenges

Yes, eVTOLs are amazing inventories—almost everyone can say things like that but a lot of scrutinies are happening in the eVTOL industry; flying cars and the likes are still facing a lot of technical and regulatory scrutinies around the world. It may take decades for fly vehicles to be whizzing through the air every day like normal day-to-day car movement we used to know.

Despite the fact that there are lots of companies in the sector—companies like Aridge (China), Tesla (US), Joby (US), Archer (US), EHang (China) and Volant Aerotech (China)—only EHang receives full approval for commercial operations, making the company to become the first flying car company in the world to be approved for commercial operations—a milestone that Aridge has not reached yet.

Aridge—which has already conducted manned test flights alongside other EV companies—made some clarity, through it vice president Michael Du at a recent event, that regulations, customer confidence and comfort, airspace management, and supply-chain systems all need time to gradually reach the level required before eVTOLs can fully be in human day to day usage.

Notably, competitions keep growing among global companies despite the fact that adaptation is still very low. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has hinted that a flying car prototype could be revealed in just a few weeks, describing it as a machine more extreme than anything seen in James Bond films, according to his comments on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast.

Meanwhile, flying cars prototype was debuted in 1917 by an American aviation and motorcycling pioneer, founder of the U.S. aircraft industry Glenn Curtiss who also pioneered the design and operation of flying boats in the United States. However, successful designs of flying cars have only become possible in recent years as electric motors and high-performance batteries have advanced.

Flying cars are still in their early stages of development, Zhang noted. EHang—the first company to receive approval for commercial eVTOL operations—aims to launch an air taxi service within the next three years, with fares comparable to a high-end road taxi. Despite the industry’s infancy, Zhang believes it remains a worthwhile long-term pursuit, a view that regulators also support.

Beijing's framework for the next five years will name the 'low-altitude economy' as a strategic field.

China’s Push Into the Low-Altitude Economy

Beijing has identified the eVTOLs as “low-altitude economy.” These economy includes flying cars, drones, and air taxis, and the state's government says they are a major strategic priority for the next five years. The government wants to speed up development in this area to encourage innovation and build an ecosystem where these technologies can grow fast.

Provinces such as Guangdong and Sichuan have also promised to ease scrutinies on certain rules to make testing and deployment of eVTOLs easier for companies that are designing and building them. A report from Boston Consulting Group says that China’s flying car industry is nearing an important turning point.

The study predicts that the market could reach a value of $41 billion by 2040. This has further shown strong confidence in China’s ability to scale and commercialize these technologies.

However, while China is more than a million steps ahead, many companies in Europe and the US are still facing setbacks. Some have gone bankrupt, and others are still spending heavily without getting close to mass production like China. But if we view it from other perspective, comparing China’s progress directly with Western markets is difficult because each region has different regulations, funding conditions, and levels of government support.

Despite that, the differences are clear: China holds a significant advantage in the electric vehicle supply chain. This strong base helps companies in the country adapt EV components for aviation use once those parts meet the required certifications. It gives Chinese manufacturers a faster, and more efficient way to build flying vehicles.

Another major strength for China is what experts call an “engineer dividend.” This refers to the large number of skilled engineers available in the country.

These skilled engineers allow companies to quickly tackle technical challenges and speed up production improvements. With the engineers' combined advantages( such as skills, talents, and knowledges), and other advantages including strong supply chains, and supportive government policies—China is positioning itself to lead the future of flying car technology.