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Flying cars crash into each other and catch fire in China

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/flying-cars/ (paywall)

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/flying-cars-crash-other-catch-200314817.html
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Two flying cars have collided during an air show 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 air show to begin Friday.

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.

......The eVTOL vehicles are expected to be sold for roughly £220,000 each. Xpeng AeroHT reported in January it had already received 3,000 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 3,000 metres, involving drone deliveries, air taxis and other unmanned aerial services.

The sector is expected to be worth $206bn (£150bn) this year, according to China’s civil aviation regulator, and could rise to a market size of $482bn (£351bn) 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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Technological reliability is a big problem./s These aren’t ready for primetime but we can watch the Europeans and Chinese try. Makes me think of the tune “ Here’s George Jetson......Jane his wife.......”