A bird? Plane? It's an autonomous electric flying taxi

Most other vehicles in Melbourne's exhibition hall have four wheels, but one has eight propellers, doors that open skywards, two seats for passengers, and no space for a pilot. The flying car prototype, from Chinese manufacturer XPeng, is one of the first to be shown in Australia and hints at a transport future involving self-flying, zero-emission air taxis. But the striking aircraft is not the only vehicle of its kind destined for Australia, with other companies announcing plans to seek approval to fly air taxis and develop places to land and launch, and test other uses for the flying machines. Aviation experts say the advances show Australia is on track to be among the first countries to deploy the futuristic aircraft, although regulations and safety checks may slow down the category's mounting pace. XPeng's X2 prototype, known as an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft or eVTOL, was a surprise inclusion at Melbourne's Electric SUV Expo (which closes Sunday), organiser Ray Evans said. "When's the last time you saw The Jetsons?" he said. "It's just arrived again." The aircraft, which will be distributed in Australia by TrueEV, features a carbon fibre body, eight battery-powered motors, a top speed of 130 kilometres per hour, and a flight time of 35 minutes. It's also designed to fly autonomously, providing take-off and landing buttons for passengers to push. "It's opening up a new (market) and there's lots of suggestions it would be well placed here, particularly in agriculture, emergency services or just for rich people who want to enjoy flying," Mr Evans said. XPeng is not the only company seeking to launch eVTOL aircraft in Australia. Last week, American firm Joby Aviation announced it had formally applied to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority for its electric air taxi to be certified in Australia. Joby chief executive JoeBen Bevirt says the aircraft, which is designed to carry four passengers at speeds of up to 321km/h, is undergoing safety testing in the US. "We're incredibly excited about the potential for air taxis to offer more sustainable ways to travel around Australia's global cities," he said. "We're pleased to be working with Australian authorities." But aircraft type certification is a lengthy process, and a safety authority spokesman says rules for air taxis are still being developed in Australia. The authority issued a guide to vertiports - where aircraft could be launched, landed and recharged - in May and is planning to update its road map for the air taxi industry in the coming months. "No advanced air mobility electric take-off and landing aircraft have received regulatory approval in Australia at this stage, although several companies have signalled their intention to sell into this market," the spokesman said. "eVTOLs will have to meet Australian safety and airworthiness standards and will likely operate under rules similar to those applying to helicopters in the first instance." In addition to certifying aircraft, regulations will need to identify "specific corridors" for flying cars, RMIT University advanced air mobility researcher Dr Abdulghani Mohamed says, which could depend on their deployment. Flying taxis could be particularly useful, he adds, for delivering medical services to regional and rural parts of Australia, in addition to transporting passengers. "Australia is unique in the sense that we have a large geographic areas and air taxis will give significant access to regional Australia," he told AAP. "There's a lot of unique applications for the vehicles, whether it's firefighting or transporting medical deliveries." Australian firm AMSL Aero is one company that is already investigating different ways to use the aircraft. In February, the company received a $3 million federal government grant to develop a remotely piloted version of its hydrogen-powered VTOL aircraft to fight fires. The project will develop ways for its Vertiia aircraft to fly over bushfire areas in difficult conditions, without risking the lives of pilots. Aviation Logistics also ordered 10 of the flying machines for use in future charter and aeromedical flights. But Boeing offshoot Wisk is eyeing the aircraft's potential for tourism and has announced a collaboration with Skyports to identify potential flight paths in South East Queensland. The deal will build on work with Skyports in other parts of the world, Wisk chief executive Brian Yutko said, and could deliver air taxis to Australia by the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games. "Wisk is committed to bringing safe, emissions-free aviation to Queensland and this partnership will get us one step closer to making our goal a reality," he said. Tourist flights in air taxis could still be years from launch as regulators test and trial the technology, Dr Mohamed says, but the delay should ensure its future viability. "(Air taxi) operation will probably take a few years just because the regulation side hasn't been sorted out yet," he said. "It's bad because it's holding up the technology but it's good because we want to make sure that things are done properly because all it takes is one accident and social confidence drops and no one's going to adopt the technology."