XPeng Flying Car Unit Wins Approval for Manned Testing

China’s aviation regulator has given Tesla challenger XPeng Inc. the go ahead for manned tests of its electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicle under certain conditions, moving the firm closer to its goal of mass-producing flying cars for the consumer market.

XPeng Aeroht, the electric-vehicle (EV) maker’s flying car unit, announced on its WeChat account on Monday that its eVTOL model XPeng X2 obtained a special permit from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) for manned testing. The X2 is the first eVTOL model to apply for and get such a permit from the regulator.