As the automotive industry expands from two-dimensional roads to three-dimensional airspace, the flying car sector is entering a critical phase of verification for commercial operations and mass production. Su Qingpeng, founder and CEO of GAC Govy (GAC-incubated low-altitude mobility company), recently emphasised that solid-state batteries are the “essential path” for the future of flying cars, as reported by Yicai.

The capital market’s perspective on flying cars has shifted from focusing solely on technical parameters to prioritising practical, real-world metrics such as delivery volumes, profitability, and airworthiness certification timelines.

Su draws a parallel between the current state of the flying car industry and the early days of electric vehicles (EVs) a decade ago. “New energy vehicles only entered a period of rapid growth after their market share exceeded 7%,” Su noted. He predicts that the development of flying cars will be even faster, with a commercial closed loop expected to be achieved by 2030.

GAC Govy’s flagship product, the Govy AirCab, began pre-sales in 2025 and officially rolled off the production line in May 2026. The company plans to complete airworthiness verification and push for Type Certification (TC) by the end of this year, with Production Certification (PC) expected in the first half of 2027.

“I believe the delivery ramp-up for flying cars will be slower than that of traditional automobiles because flying cars require extensive iteration, continuous airworthiness verification, and complex manufacturing process validation,” Su explained. To address this, Govy is focusing on modular and standardised production processes to ensure future scalability and automation.

Addressing safety concerns, Su stated that solid-state batteries are indispensable for the industry. “Solid-state batteries solve the issues of long range and high safety for flying cars,” he said.

While the automotive industry seeks solid-state batteries primarily to drive down costs for mass-market vehicles, the economics of aviation are different. Su pointed out that traditional aircraft manufacturing costs are 50 to 100 times higher than those of cars, meaning flying cars have a higher cost tolerance. Even small-batch production of solid-state batteries is viable for eVTOLs today, and as these batteries eventually scale in the automotive sector, they will further reduce operating costs and expand commercial boundaries for flying cars.

Su identifies 2027 as the “first year” for the commercialisation of manned eVTOLs. This timeline aligns with the growing involvement of state-owned capital in China’s low-altitude economy, which serves as a cornerstone for the industry’s development.