BYD shuts down rumors of an electric flying car

BYD is not launching a flying car. After rumors surfaced online, the Chinese EV giant pushed back, saying it has no such plans.

BYD has no plans for an electric flying car

The rumors began spreading after a video surfaced on social media claiming that BYD’s high-end Yangwang brand was gearing up to launch a flying car called Ufly.

According to the post, the flying car would be equipped with BYD’s ultra-fast Megawatt Flash Charging and other advanced technology.

A few other articles posted online made wild claims, such as that the flying car had already completed a 136 km (84 mi) test flight in July, traveling from Zhuhai to Shenzhen. Others claimed it had traveled overseas and obtained special certifications to take flight in China.

Turns out, none of it is true. BYD’s brand and public relations boss, Li Yunfei, denied the rumors on Thursday, posting on Weibo that “We have no such plans or arrangements.”

Li added that “In the face of online traffic, we must exercise restraint,” after BYD won a defamation case earlier this month against online influencers spreading false rumors.

While BYD has no plans for an electric flying car, several Chinese and non-Chinese companies are betting on them for the future.

Notably, XPeng’s flying car company, Aridge, is developing two flight systems: the “Land Aircraft Carrier” for individuals and the hybrid “A868” for longer travel and more passenger space.

As of November, XPeng said the Land Aircraft Carrier had secured over 7,000 global orders and was entering mass production. China’s Chery, GAC Group, FAW Group, and Changan Auto are all planning to launch electric or hybrid flying vehicles.

What about flying cars in the US? Earlier this month, California-based Alef Aeronautics announced it had begun manufacturing the first electric flying cars for customer delivery.

The first few models are being hand-made at its facility in Silicon Valley, and will be delivered to a few early customers soon for testing. We got a look at Alef’s flying car in action after it posted a video (watch it above) of it jumping over a Tesla Cybertruck.

Tesla recently filed a patent for a “fan car” system that’s not quite a flying car, but could help boost grip and performance. However, it wouldn’t be a total shock at this point if Elon Musk did announce plans for a full-on flying car.

Source: CarNewsChina, Li Yunfei