150 people, smartphones out, watched an electric flying car perform a successful test down at Dubai’s skydiving range. There they caught a glimpse of what the not too distant future will bring.

A gaggle of flying taxi companies around the world all seem to be on the verge of populating the skies with different versions of “eVTOL” vehicles, or “electric vertical take-off and landing.”

XPeng Motors’ X2 flying taxi is a teardrop-shaped two-seater EVTOL that can cruise at around 1,000 meters in elevation at 81 miles per hour. The battery currently can store electricity for a 35 minute flight, enough for a CEO’s quick carbon-free jaunt across a skyline.

The test was unmanned, and done by automated control.

“XPeng’s X2’s public display in Dubai represents a significant milestone for XPeng AeroHT and the international achievement of flying cars,” said Brian Gu, Vice Chairman and President of XPeng.

“Dubai is a world-renowned ‘City of Innovation,’ which is the reason we decided to hold the X2 first public flight event here. Today’s flight is a major step in XPeng exploration of future mobility.”

RELATED: United Airlines Pre-Orders 200 Flying Taxis With Vertical Takeoff for 4 Passengers

Bloomberg reporting on the test noted that XPeng is in competition with other companies like TCab Tech and AutoFlight for pole position as Asia’s urban air mobility’s leader, a market expected to reach $1 trillion over the next 20 years.

“The flying car is the epitome of ambition, innovation and future-oriented vision that has always inspired Dubai,” said Dubai Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Hassan Al Hashemi.

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