As the flying car industry moves from prototype development toward commercial deployment, attention is increasingly shifting to the technologies needed to support safe and scalable operations. 

Su Qingpeng, founder and CEO of GAC Govy, a low-altitude mobility company incubated by GAC, recently described solid-state batteries as the “essential path” for the future of flying cars, highlighting their potential to deliver the energy density and safety required for aerial mobility.

At the same time, investor expectations are evolving. Rather than focusing primarily on technical specifications and performance claims, capital markets are placing greater emphasis on practical indicators of commercial success, including vehicle deliveries, profitability, production readiness, and the timeline for obtaining airworthiness certification.

Flying cars follow a path similar to early EVs

Su compared the current stage of the flying car industry to the position electric vehicles occupied roughly a decade ago, when the market was still transitioning from early adoption to large-scale growth. He argued that aviation mobility could advance even more rapidly than the EV sector once adoption reaches a critical threshold. 

According to his outlook, the industry is expected to establish a sustainable commercial ecosystem by 2030, supported by technological progress, regulatory approvals, and the gradual rollout of low-altitude transportation services, CarNewsChina reported.

After entering the market with its first production model, GAC Govy has been advancing toward regulatory approval and commercial deployment. Its flagship aircraft, the Govy AirCab, opened for pre-orders in 2025 and officially entered production in May 2026. 

The Chinese company aims to complete airworthiness testing and secure Type Certification (TC) by the end of 2026, while Production Certification (PC) is targeted for the first half of 2027, paving the way for larger-scale manufacturing and commercial operations.

Safer, longer-range flying cars depend on solid-state batteries 

In the long run, battery technology is emerging as one of the most important factors shaping the future of aerial mobility. Su noted that solid-state batteries will play a central role in enabling the next generation of flying cars by delivering both the energy density required for longer flight ranges and the safety standards needed for commercial operations. 

Furthermore, the business case for solid-state batteries is markedly different in aviation than in the automotive sector. Whereas carmakers are pursuing the technology largely to lower costs and improve competitiveness in high-volume markets, flying car manufacturers can absorb significantly higher battery costs due to the economics of aircraft production. Su noted that conventional aircraft are far more expensive to build than automobiles, giving eVTOL developers greater flexibility to adopt advanced battery technologies. 

As a result, solid-state batteries can already be deployed in limited production runs for aerial vehicles. Over time, broader adoption across the automotive industry is expected to drive down battery costs, making flying cars more economical to operate and opening the door to wider commercial use.

However, Su also warned that flying car production is likely to scale more slowly than traditional automobiles. Extensive design iterations, airworthiness certification, and manufacturing validation requirements make the path to mass production longer and more complex, resulting in a gradual ramp-up in deliveries.

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Chinese state media has revealed what it described as the first operational live-fire evaluation of the PLA’s new HQ-16F air defense missile. Footage broadcast by CCTV showed troops from the 73rd Group Army, part of the Eastern Theater Command responsible for operations around Taiwan, conducting the exercise in the Gobi Desert after traveling more than 1,200 miles from their home base in Fujian Province to train with the newly issued system.

During the test, a missile was launched from a mobile platform and successfully intercepted an aerial target at roughly 31 miles, according to CCTV. The live-fire exercise was presented as a validation of the system’s operational readiness under field conditions.

Footage also showed the missile’s streamlined, wingless design, which relies on four rear-mounted fins for flight control. This configuration reduces drag while enabling rapid maneuvering and course corrections to engage moving targets at medium range.

New missile is latest variant in China’s Hong Qi-16 air defense family

Although state media avoided identifying the missile by name, footage from the exercise appeared to reveal its designation. A close-up shot showed a nameplate marked “HQ-16F”, while the missile’s external configuration closely resembles the HQ-16FE, the newest export-focused member of China’s Hong Qi (“Red Flag”) 16 air defense family that debuted publicly at the 2022 Zhuhai Airshow, the South China Morning Post writes.

The missile features a streamlined, wingless design that relies on rear control fins for maneuvering. This configuration reduces aerodynamic drag and overall weight, helping improve flight efficiency and potentially increasing engagement range compared with earlier designs.

The HQ-16 family forms a key part of China’s medium-range air defense network and is available in both land-based and naval configurations. Footage from the recent test showed the missile being launched from fully vertical cells, indicating compatibility with shipborne vertical launch systems and suggesting potential cross-platform deployment.

While Beijing has not released official performance data for the HQ-16F, Chinese domestic variants have historically offered greater capabilities than export models. The export-oriented HQ-16FE is designed to engage a wide range of threats, including aircraft, tactical ballistic missiles, and supersonic cruise missiles. 

HQ-16F can engage targets from 2.2 to 100 miles away

According to publicly available specifications, it can intercept conventional aircraft at ranges of up to about 100 miles, a fourfold increase over the original HQ-16, while retaining the ability to engage targets as close as roughly 2.2 miles away. The system can reportedly target threats flying as low as 50 feet above the ground and at altitudes reaching approximately 17 miles.

In terms of reach, the HQ-16FE is often compared to the US Patriot PAC-2, while its sensor suite and missile-defense functions are considered closer to those of the more advanced Patriot PAC-3. The two systems, however, employ different interception methods. The PAC-3 uses a hit-to-kill approach, destroying incoming threats through direct kinetic impact rather than a conventional explosive warhead.

The new HQ-16F missiles add another layer to the PLA’s already extensive air defense network, which covers threats from low altitudes to near space. Their deployment is particularly significant because they are being fielded by the PLA’s 73rd Group Army, based in Xiamen across the Taiwan Strait from Taiwan and considered a key frontline force in any cross-strait contingency.

The move comes as analysts debate how Beijing might seek to pressure Taiwan. Foreign policy commentator Eyck Freymann has argued that China’s most likely path could be a prolonged blockade rather than a direct invasion. In that context, the deployment highlights Beijing’s continued efforts to strengthen the military capabilities of units positioned closest to Taiwan.

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China’s CATL has outlined a concrete roadmap for the commercial rollout of sodium-ion battery technology, announcing that customer deliveries of its first sodium-ion energy storage systems will begin in September. 

The company also expects sodium-ion battery shipments to reach the gigawatt-hour scale in 2026, marking a significant step toward wider adoption of the technology. The timeline was revealed by CATL’s energy storage solutions CTO, Lin Jiubiao, during a sodium-ion battery industry event in China. 

The announcement builds on the company’s earlier statements that sodium-ion batteries are moving into large-scale production and deployment across a range of applications, including energy storage and electric mobility.

Sodium-ion batteries emerge as a viable alternative to lithium

Long viewed as a promising alternative to lithium-based technologies, sodium-ion batteries are now approaching their first large-scale commercial deployments. While research into sodium-ion chemistry dates back to the 1970s – around the same time as lithium-ion batteries, the technology remained largely in the background for decades, CarNewsChina reported.

Early sodium-based cells struggled to match lithium batteries in key areas such as energy density, cycle life, and overall performance, slowing their path to market. Recent advances in materials and manufacturing, however, have significantly improved their competitiveness, paving the way for broader adoption in energy storage and other applications.

After several years of development, CATL has steadily expanded its ambitions in the sodium-ion battery market, as the company first introduced its inaugural sodium-ion battery in 2021, marking its entry into the sector. 

Four years later, in April 2025, CATL unveiled its second-generation Naxtra sodium-ion battery and outlined plans to deploy the technology across a wide range of applications, including passenger and commercial vehicles, battery-swapping networks, and stationary energy storage systems.

Lower production costs pave the way for sodium-ion expansion

Declining raw material and supply-chain costs are helping pave the way for the wider commercial adoption of sodium-ion batteries. As production scales and manufacturing processes mature, the economics of sodium-ion technology are becoming increasingly attractive, improving its competitiveness against established battery chemistries and supporting broader deployment across energy storage and mobility applications.

Industry suppliers say sodium-ion battery materials are beginning to benefit from the same economies of scale that helped drive the success of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries.

As production capacity expands, manufacturing volumes are increasing and costs are steadily falling, improving the commercial outlook for the technology. At the same time, hard-carbon anodes, one of the key components used in sodium-ion batteries, have moved into industrial-scale production, marking another important milestone in the development of a mature supply chain.

One of the main advantages of sodium-ion technology is its use of widely available and inexpensive sodium resources, which reduces reliance on often constrained lithium supply chains. The chemistry has therefore emerged as a promising option for large-scale energy storage, where cost, resource availability, and operational reliability are critical factors.

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A collaboration between Chinese company Pangoo Power and the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering has resulted in a new axial flux motor platform built around a permanent-magnet material developed specifically for this motor architecture. 

According to the developers, the material improves magnetic energy performance, high-temperature stability, and mechanical strength while remaining suitable for large-scale manufacturing. The technology is drawing increasing interest because axial flux motors are fundamentally different from conventional radial-flux designs. Instead of directing magnetic flux outward from the center, axial flux motors channel it parallel to the shaft. 

This disc-shaped configuration reduces the motor’s overall length and enables torque to be generated closer to the outer edge, helping deliver higher torque and power density while lowering weight – which are key advantages for electric vehicles, humanoid robots, and emerging electric aircraft.

Modern materials revive a centuries-old motor design

Although axial flux motors are often viewed as a cutting-edge technology, the concept traces its origins to some of the earliest electric motor experiments conducted by Michael Faraday in the 19th century. For decades, however, the design remained largely impractical due to limitations in magnetic materials, manufacturing precision, and power control systems. 

Recent advances in permanent magnets, power electronics, and high-precision production techniques have changed that equation, enabling engineers to revisit the architecture and unlock performance levels that were previously difficult to achieve in commercial applications, CarNewsChina writes.

According to Chinese researchers, axial flux motor designs can cut both weight and axial length by roughly 50% compared with conventional motors that deliver comparable output. This reduction in size and mass makes the architecture especially attractive for electric vehicle applications, where drivetrain compactness is a critical design constraint. 

By shrinking the motor footprint, manufacturers can free up valuable chassis space, improve overall packaging efficiency, and potentially enhance vehicle performance and range through better system integration.

Breakthrough material enhances high-load motor operation

Recent engineering work on the new magnet material focuses on overcoming several persistent barriers to wider axial flux motor adoption, with researchers fine-tuning magnetic formulations, engineered more controlled microstructures, and increased resistance to high temperatures in order to limit demagnetisation during sustained high-speed and high-load operation. 

These improvements are critical for maintaining stable performance under demanding conditions, where thermal stress and magnetic degradation have historically constrained efficiency and long-term reliability. The finished production-oriented motor is reported to deliver a power density of 25.73 kW/kg while operating at speeds above 18,000 rpm. Researchers note this combination of high rotational speed and high power output could support demanding electric vehicle use cases, including sustained highway cruising and frequent hard acceleration.

These results come as Chinese automakers continue to rapidly advance electric motor technology across multiple design paths. Xiaomi Auto recently revealed that its Xiaomi YU7 GT will use the upgraded HyperEngine V8S EVO powertrain, an evolution of its earlier V8S system. The motor is capable of reaching up to 28,000 rpm and incorporates a self-developed silicon carbide (SiC) power module that increases output by 5.9%. Xiaomi also highlighted the use of 0.15 mm ultra-thin silicon steel laminations and a reported peak efficiency of 98.38%.

Recent developments in China’s electric drivetrain sector also highlight a broader push toward higher-output and more diversified motor architectures. BYD has introduced a 240 kW traction motor that is increasingly making its way into lower-priced electric vehicle segments, reflecting a trend toward more powerful drivetrains at accessible price points.

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