In brief: The EV wars between BYD and Tesla have taken to the skies – well, sort of. The Chinese automaker is now shipping some of its offerings with a drone system mounted on the roof. Called Lingyuan, it lets you deploy a drone straight from the roof of your ride to capture sweeping aerial views and film follow-cam videos while cruising down the road.
The drones can take off and land autonomously from a special housing on the roof while the car is moving at speeds up to 33 mph. Operating the drone is designed to be as simple as possible. All the user needs to do is tap a button to launch the drone. It will then trail behind to record your adventures from above.
BYD has really leaned into the futuristic factor with Lingyuan’s sleek sci-fi aesthetics. The system features doors that glide open to reveal a rising platform with the aircraft perched on top. The deployment looks straight out of that iconic final chase in Blade Runner 2049 where Officer K deploys a drone that emerges from the top of his flying police spinner (below, 0:58 onwards).
That said, stuffing drones into cars isn’t a brand-new concept. BYD’s ultra-premium $150,000 Yangwang U8 SUV already comes equipped with an onboard drone system. But Lingyuan is making the feature more accessible by bringing it to BYD’s more affordable mainstream models.
The ~$27,000 Sealion 07 hybrid and $40,000 Tang L electric SUV are among the first to receive the integrated drone option, which adds around $2,200 to the usual price. That may not sound cheap, but it’s a steal compared to what a separate rig would cost.
The Lingyuan is the latest high-tech toy from BYD as it doubles down on loading its EVs with smart, innovative features to one-up increasingly stiff competition from rivals like Tesla in the cutthroat Chinese auto market.
Just last month, BYD announced it would include its advanced “God’s Eye” self-driving system across its entire EV lineup, including the $9,500 Seagull hatchback, at no extra cost. Tesla was quick to follow suit by enabling its own self-driving features for Chinese drivers – though it charges $8,800 for those.
BYD has also shown off other interesting technological tricks like a supercar concept that can drive over potholes and obstacles by “jumping” using its active suspension.
With quirky additions such as these, it’s no wonder that BYD has collaborated with DJI. DJI’s president said he aims to popularize mounted drone technologies too, so expect vehicles from more Chinese brands featuring the technology in the coming years.
