Budding filmmakers who are also fans of the Chinese BYD brand might be interested to know they can now launch a drone directly from the roof of their car and pilot it remotely.
As part of a collaboration, Chinese automaker BYD and drone specialist DJI this week unveiled the Lingyuan ‘in-car drone system’ during a launch event in Shenzhen, the aim of which, according to official reports from China’s Xinhua online newspaper, is to “transform cars into mobile entertainment and exploration platforms.”
The Lingyuan system includes a roof-mounted landing pad – akin to a helipad – that allows for vertical automated take-off and landing at speeds of up to 25 km/h (just over 15 MPH). The gullwing-esque doors are a nice touch!
How The Car-Drone System Works
Rather than simply mounting a drone carry case with an aperture to the car’s roof, the entire project went back to basics during a three-year development cycle to ‘marry’ the on-board systems of both the car and the drone. The launch itself for example, is done via a button in the cabin rather than exclusively through the drone’s remote. The drone can also be ‘told’ to follow its lead vehicle for action shots at speeds of up to 54 km/h (around 33 MPH).
A 4K camera, hooked into the car’s dash, can also be mounted to the launch pad ‘hanger’ to provide two different perspectives of the drone simultaneously. Moreover, the drone can automatically return from a distance of two kilometers (just over 1.2 miles).
The retractable landing pad meanwhile, has been configured for rapid storage, and, interestingly, to charge the drone itself, with 20 to 80 percent of the battery replenished in just under 30 minutes. Neither BYD nor DJI however, have confirmed how much this would affect the 112-mile electric range of the Yangwang U8 EV on which Lingyuan was demonstrated. BYD has confirmed though that the system will be configurable with each model in its line-up.
Prices for the system start at 16,000 Chinese yuan, or around $2,200 USD, but the aspiring filmmaker-slash-BYD owners among you may not want to get too excited just yet, as there are currently no plans for Lingyuan to be sold in North America.
And before you ask, no, this isn’t just a cool new toy from BYD and DJI. Both companies instead see Lingyuan as a first step towards “large-scale adoption of intelligent in-car drone systems.” BYD chairman Wang Chuanfu even stated that the system “should be a tool that benefits the world” by opening up “new possibilities for off-road and urban travel scenarios.”
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