Dream of turning your car into a drone base? This has never been closer to coming true, thanks to Chinese automobile manufacturer BYD, which has teamed up with drone maker DJI to create a vehicle-mounted drone system attached to the roof of its cars.
As it happens, the two companies have together developed a package called Lingyuan, which includes the drone itself and a retractable ‘smart hangar’ on the top of the car, housing the said drone when you’re not using it, according to a report published on March 5.
Car-mounted drone specifications
The drone is specially adapted for vehicular use. It can take off and land mid-driving, but only when the car is moving at speeds of up to 25 km/h (15.5 mph). That said, once it’s in the air, the drone can track the car autonomously at speeds of up to 56 km/h (35 mph) and even dodge obstacles.
Additionally, the drone has a safe one-touch return-to-home and landing radius of two kilometers (1.24 miles), can be controlled using the car’s infotainment system, and users can even edit videos through the touchscreen itself.
There will be two versions of Lingyuan available, depending on the car’s brand.
Drone versions
The mainstream BYD marque and the premium Denza and Fangchengbao brands will support a smaller fast-charging hangar that charges the drone when docked. Existing owners will be able to retrofit the system at a price of 16,000 yuan ($2,200), including a DJI Air 3S drone and a controller, which by themselves go for RM 4,599 ($1,045) in Malaysia.
Prior to the retrofit kit hitting the proverbial shelves, the developers will fit the fast-charging system to a special version of the Fangchengbao Bao 8, costing exactly $2,200 more than the regular Bao 8. The premium off-roader costs from 395,800 yuan ($54,475) to 423,800 yuan ($58,330) with the attached drone system.
At the same time, the Yangwang brand will receive a battery-swap version that is larger and takes up the whole roof of the car. It requires extra space for housing the robotic arms that can remove a depleted battery from the drone and swap it with a fully-charged one, allowing the drone to fly immediately after.
The makers have fitted the system to the Yangwang U8 Off-Road Player Edition, which comes with built-in satellite communications. On this car, the drone is optional. The price isn’t yet publicly available, but the drone package, recently updated to a triple-camera DJI Mavic 3 Pro with three batteries, costs RM 10,999 ($2,485) in Malaysia, whereas the drone-less car costs 1,098,000 yuan ($151,125).
Car-mounted drone collaboration
Commenting on the development during the launch event in Shenzhen, China, Wang Chuanfu, chairman and president of BYD, stated that the goal was to integrate vehicle and drone technologies in a way that enhances both, highlighting that:
“The collaboration between BYD and DJI is far more than just placing a drone in a car.”
Echoing the sentiment, Luo Zhenhua, president of DJI, pointed out that the technology isn’t for creating toys for the few, but as a “tool that benefits the world,” praising the partnership as a breakthrough in product innovation and a re-imagination of the mobility ecosystem.
Elsewhere, the role of drones isn’t as much for fun as it is in armed conflicts. Notably, back in December, the Ukrainian defense forces unveiled a proprietary Shchedryk unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to help in the ongoing combat with Russia, which has been going on since February 2022.
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