By Akash Pandey

Copyright newsbytesapp

China’s flying taxi ambitions have suffered a setback as two electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles collided mid-air during a rehearsal for the Changchun Air Show in the northeastern region on Tuesday (local time). The incident, which was caught on video and widely shared on Chinese social media, resulted in one of the aircraft catching fire upon landing due to fuselage damage, leaving one pilot injured, while the other vehicle managed to land safely. Xpeng Aeroht, the flying car subsidiary of Chinese EV maker Xpeng, acknowledged that the two eVTOLs collided during a formation exercise due to insufficient flight distance. The company said, One landed safely, while the other caught fire upon landing due to body damage. Videos from the scene showed smoke billowing from one of the aircraft as fire trucks and ambulances rushed to the site. Despite the collision, Xpeng Aeroht assured that all on-site personnel were safe. The company added that competent agencies have completed their work in an orderly manner, with the specific cause of the accident still under investigation. The injured passenger was taken to a nearby hospital, where they were treated for minor injuries. Founded in 2013, Xpeng Aeroht is Asia’s largest flying car company. It builds modular flying cars, tiltrotor aircraft, and eVTOLs. The vehicle involved in the show can make five to six flights on a single charge. It also has a 270-degree panoramic cabin, single-lever controls, and flies at altitudes of 300-500m. Xpeng Aeroht’s Land Aircraft Carrier is a six-wheeled road vehicle that carries a detachable two-person eVTOL. Each unit costs about CNY2 million ($281,015), and the firm says it has received more than 4,000 orders. After receiving a special flight permit, the aircraft began conducting airborne tests in the UAE on September 11. The company also plans to start mass production and deliveries of its modular flying car in 2026.