小鹏汇天飞行器发生“接触事故” 为低空经济蒙上阴影

Core Viewpoint - The collision incident involving two eVTOL aircraft from Xiaopeng Huitian during a rehearsal at the Changchun Airshow raises concerns about the company's ability to meet its 2026 mass production and delivery goals, casting a shadow over the emerging low-altitude economy industry [2][3][8]. Company Overview - Xiaopeng Huitian, established in 2020, is a prominent startup in the low-altitude economy sector, originally founded by Zhao Deli in 2013 as Dongguan Huitian. The company is backed by Xiaopeng Motors, which holds a controlling stake [3][6]. - The company has undergone two product iterations, with its main products categorized into "land carrier" modular flying cars, high-speed long-range flying cars, and integrated flying cars. The "land carrier" modular flying car is closest to mass production [3][4]. Product Details - The "land carrier" modular flying car features a decoupled design between the flying vehicle and the ground vehicle, equipped with an automatic separation and integration mechanism. The ground vehicle is a six-wheeled design that utilizes an 800V high-voltage silicon carbide range-extending power platform [4][6]. - Xiaopeng Huitian has received nearly 5,000 pre-orders, with 2,008 units ordered from 12 different customers across various industries. The company plans to break ground on its manufacturing base in October 2024, aiming for an annual production capacity of 10,000 units [6][8]. Safety and Regulatory Aspects - The incident highlights the importance of maintaining proper flight spacing, as the two aircraft collided due to insufficient distance during a formation flight. The civil aviation industry has strict regulations regarding flight spacing to ensure safety [8][9]. - Xiaopeng Huitian aims to complete the type certificate (TC) approval for its flying vehicle model (X3-F) by the end of this year, which is a critical step in the certification process for civil aircraft [6][11]. Industry Impact - The collision incident has raised public concerns about the safety of eVTOL aircraft, potentially affecting consumer confidence and the broader low-altitude economy sector. The incident serves as a reminder for companies in this space to prioritize safety features before launching passenger flights [8][11].