Most of them still in the project stages, Chinese cargo drones, flying taxis, and other eVTOLs are aiming to improve their performance in terms of autonomy, safety, durability, and lightness. On all these points, carbon fiber appears beneficial, as, increasingly, on brand image.
“Each flying car uses 300 kilograms of carbon fiber. When we start mass production in 2026, our plant will become the world’s largest automobile factory using carbon fiber”, said He Xiaopeng, founder of the automotive maker Xpeng Motors, at the recent China Electric Vehicle Forum.
Xpeng’s subsidiary Xpeng Aeroht Xiaopeng Huitian is currently developing two types of flying cars: the first, Land Aircraft Carrier, is a modular flying car, which automatically folds the aircraft into a car trunk and can be used for short-distance flights such as sightseeing, with a flight distance of less than 30 kilometers; the second, the eVTOL X2, is a full-tilt-rotor flying car, which can only fly and cannot be driven on the road. It has a range of more than 500 kilometers.
In March 2025, Xpeng Aeroht signed a contract with Zhengxi Intelligent Equipment Group for the delivery of four composite molding production lines. The production lines are mainly used for the manufacturing of eVTOL and drone parts in the low-altitude economy and are expected to be shipped in June 2025.
“As the core structural material of low-altitude aircraft, carbon fiber composite materials have become the key to improving aircraft endurance, reducing energy consumption and enhancing flight safety with their excellent properties such as lightweight, high strength and corrosion resistance”, said the Chinese major digital cutting company IECHO, which joined hands with EHang, the Chinese Urban Air Mobility (UAM) technology platform company, to integrate advanced digital cutting technology into the production and manufacturing of low-altitude aircraft.
Technology partners
As one of the world’s leading autonomous aircraft companies, notably with its EH216-S pilotless eVTOL, EHang has higher requirements for the manufacturing accuracy, stability and intelligence level of low-altitude aircraft, according to the cutting company. Based on this, IECHO will provide efficient and acurate cutting solutions through advanced digital cutting technology to help EHang cope with these challenges. In addition, based on the concept of “smart body”, IECHO will further enhance its intelligent manufacturing capabilities and create a full-linkage intelligent manufacturing solution to help EHang build a more efficient and intelligent production system.
Another meaningful deal is the one signed with Govy, a subsidiary of China’s GAC Motors dedicated to the development of eVTOL aircraft, and eight companies, including partners from the fields of AI, information technology and new materials. Two of them are German materials manufacturer Covestro and China’s Tuanyuan Composites, with the aim to pioneer material solutions for flying cars.
Under the agreement, Covestro and Govy will collaborate on several priority areas. Key initiatives will include developing innovative polycarbonate glazing solutions to reduce vehicle weight while maintaining high performance and safety standards, and exploring materials for smart and efficient lighting systems tailored to the unique requirements of eVTOL aircraft. The collaboration will also address high-performance materials that enable seamless integration of smart systems and components. A strong emphasis will be placed on low-carbon solutions, utilizing materials with attributed bio-circular content and recycled feedstocks to reduce emissions across the vehicles’ lifecycle.
At the signing ceremony, in January 2025, a demo flying car was unveiled: the Govy AirJet, the first composite wing flying car of the Govy brand, made its debut, featuring a range of 200 kilometers in just 40 minutes. This prototype showcases a hybrid design that integrates both fixed-wing and rotary-wing capabilities, combining the efficiency of conventional airplane-like forward flight with the vertical takeoff and landing versatility of helicopters.
More than 90% of the Govy AirJet structure uses carbon fiber composite materials and adopts a complex production process at the level of large aircraft. While ensuring the strength of the fuselage, it effectively reduces the weight of the entire machine. At equal volume, the weight is only one third of that of a car body, which provides a solid basis for flight efficiency and safety.
Launched six months later, in June 2025, GAC’s Govy AirCab boasts the same percentage of carbon fiber: 90 %. Govy presents Govy AirCab as “its first mass-produced flying car – one of the world’s first multirotor flying vehicles to enter mass production.”
The eVTOL’s fuselage is over 90 percent carbon fiber composite material. It has two seats, and is equipped with high-density cylindrical batteries capable of charging in 25 minutes, as well as intelligent low-altitude obstacle avoidance, according to GAC Govy.
Govy AirCab flying car will be used for low-altitude cultural tourism travel. The Aircab has entered the airworthiness certification phase, trial operations are expected to begin this year in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, with customer deliveries scheduled by the end of 2026. Pre-sales have already started, with an official guide price of RMB 1.68 million (€ 203,000).
HRC in the front seats
“Many start-ups are not able to get the eVTOL sector off the ground on their own. We are here to support them, always with a view to sustainable development”, explained Timo Huber, vice president of the Advanced Composite Technology Center (ACTC), the R&D platform of Chinese composite solutions provider HRC Group, during an interview at JEC World 2025. Indeed, as a first-level partner in the design, manufacturing and final assembly of carbon fiber parts and airframes, HRC Aviation has participated to varying degrees in the development and manufacturing of 1/3 of the mainstream aircraft models in the existing Chinese low-altitude market.
One of them is the 6-seat eVTOL AE200 developed by Geely-owned Aerofugia, which will begin compliance verification this year. Geely and HRC are both companies that have automotive and aviation development genes. This strategic cooperation will also start a new journey for both parties, jointly promoting the seamless connection of “low altitude + ground”.
Another one is the AirWhiteWhale W5000, China’s largest unmanned cargo aircraft, designed and manufactured with the participation of HRC. Entering the era of e-commerce, “high efficiency” and “low cost” have become the main demands of the modern logistics industry. Driven by industry demand, more and more drones are flying into the air cargo market. As a representative achievement opening a new chapter in this field, the AirWhiteWhale W5000 has a maximum takeoff weight of 10.8 tons, a maximum payload capacity of 5 tons, and a commercial flight range of 2,600 kilometers.
One of the largest cargo drones with the highest cargo efficiency and the best cost, it can realize the objective of same-day air cargo transportation in Chinese cities. HRC was involved in the design and manufacturing of multiple airframe structural sections, and completed the manufacturing and assembly of most composite airframe structural sections such as the mid-fuselage upper wall panel, rear fuselage rear section, and rear cargo door.
As Timo Huber underlined, “At the moment, the composites market with the greatest potential is definitely the wider aerospace sector! Compared to other applications, the demand for lightweight structures is greater or even essential. Aerospace applications are performance-oriented and usually do not require aesthetic carbon fiber material, as is sometimes the case in the automotive sector, but materials with high weight-specific properties. The fastest growing sector is the low-altitude economy. This sector is booming worldwide, especially in China, where more than 100 projects are currently under development.”
Carbon fiber in the spotlight
Other prominent Chinese composite materials producers are very much involved in the low altitude economy. Among them, Guangwei Composites announced in January 2025 having helped RX4E four-seater electric aircraft obtain Type Certificat (TC), issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, becoming the first normal electric aircraft in China to obtain this airworthiness approval. The RX4E four-seater electric aircraft is independently developed by the Liaoning General Aviation Research Institute of Shenyang Aerospace University. Guangwei Composites undertook the task of supplying the main raw materials during the certification process of the aircraft.
The RX4E aircraft can be widely used in pilot training, sightseeing travel, flight experience, aerial photography, aerial surveying and mapping. At the same time, a series of models for water, ice and snow, hydrogen energy and other special purposes will be developed.
State-owned enterprises are playing an essential role in developing the low-flying vehicles. Dedicated to R&D and manufacturing of aviation composite parts, Linghang Composites is a wholly owned subsidiary of China Aviation Industry General Aircraft, part of the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), which generated several projects in China’s low-altitude economy. The company is the the manufacturer of the all-composite body structure of the ET9, which was developed and designed by EVT Aerotechnics, established in January 2022.
The ET9 aircraft is a 5-passenger, 4-seater eVTOL. It has a maximum take-off weight of 2.2 tons. It adopts an all-composite – including T700 and T800 carbon fiber – body structure and the wingspan of the aircraft is nearly 15 meters.
More than one year later, in May 2025, the TA-20 multi-purpose turboprop trainer, developed by Zhongke Aircraft, was officially released and completed its maiden flight. This is China’s first all-carbon fiber composite body, claims the company, a state-owned high-tech enterprise integrating aviation equipment research and development, manufacturing and maintenance, established in 2016 in Anhui province.
The TA-20 has a maximum flight time of 8 hours, a maximum range of 2,432 kilometers, and a maximum flight speed of 506 kilometers per hour. It can meet the needs of primary pilot training and is suitable for a variety of application scenarios such as stunt performances, reconnaissance patrols, and special operations.
“As an innovative work of all-carbon fiber composite materials, the TA-20 adopts a teardrop-shaped canopy, an airtight cockpit and a wing fuel tank design, giving it a maximum flight endurance. It is equipped with double-stitched flaps and a wing leading edge de-icing system, which not only enables rapid takeoff and landing on short runways, but also stable flight in complex weather conditions. In terms of technological innovation, intelligent design is used to support night vision compatibility, ensuring that flight teaching is professional, standardized, safe and reliable”, says Zhongke Aircraft. The TA-20 is in any case the first flying vehicle to highlight its carbon fiber components so much.
This article has been commissioned by JEC Group.
