EHang, the Chinese language electrical vertical takeoff and touchdown (eVTOL) firm, has made some critical waves within the city air mobility (UAM) race as of late. Whereas passenger drone taxis are nonetheless a futuristic imaginative and prescient for a lot of, EHang passenger drones are right here. Over the previous few months, EHang has been racking up real-world expertise with its autonomous EH216-S plane.
EHang just lately accomplished the primary passenger-carrying eVTOL demo flights outdoors of China in Abu Dhabi, which is a rich Center Jap metropolis within the United Arab Emirates. That very same drone additionally flew in April 2024 as the primary autonomous eVTOL flight on the DRIFTx occasion — which additionally was held in Abu Dhabi.
That passenger flight was performed in tandem with flights of the EH216-F, which is designed for high-rise firefighting, in addition to the EH216-L, which is designed for aerial logistics. The flights occurred on the Emirates Falcons Aviation Membership in Al Ali, Abu Dhabi with approval by the UAE’s Basic Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA).
Now these had been simply demonstrations, however EHang is setting its sights on precise routes. Town of Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, China, appears to be on the forefront of this effort. There’s been discuss of Wuxi launching an inaugural eVTOL route. Whereas particulars are nonetheless scarce, it hints at a future the place drone taxis turn into an built-in a part of our transportation community.
That mentioned, EHang just lately launched its first demo flight of the route, in a video shared to EHang’s personal social media accounts, which you’ll be able to see beneath:
Different cities need in, too. On Might 31, 2024, EHang introduced that the Xishan Tourism division had ordered 50 items of EHang’s EH216-S pilotless plane, with extra to return over the following few years. Town, situated in China’s Shanxi Province, desires to make use of the passenger drones for aerial tourism.
“The low-altitude economic system is a consultant of recent productive forces and serves as a brand new monitor for industrial growth in addition to a brand new engine driving financial progress,” Xiangjun Jin, Governor of Shanxi Province, mentioned in a ready assertion. “We hope that EHang’s experience in commercializing the low-altitude economic system can be a helpful supply of inspiration and reference for Shanxi’s growth on this space.”
What we all know to date in regards to the EH216 EHang passenger drones
The EH216-S is designed for intra-city passenger transportation, aerial sightseeing and air taxi service. The plane holds the world’s first kind certificates, manufacturing certificates and commonplace airworthiness certificates for passenger-carrying pilotless eVTOL plane —— all issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China.
EHang’s EH216 is a two-seater, totally autonomous automobile that appears like an enormous quadcopter drone. It boasts electrical propulsion for quiet operation and a claimed vary of round 31 miles (50 kilometers) on a single cost.
The state of passenger drones in 2024
EHang is a large identify in passenger drones, but it surely’s not the one key participant there proper now. Volocopter, a German firm backed by Daimler, leads with its multi-rotor electrical Volocopter VC200. There’s additionally a passenger drone known as ASKA A5. Made by Mountain View, California-based firm ASKA, the ASKA A5 is the world’s first flying automobile to begin the sort certification course of with the Federal Aviation Administration.
And whereas EHang passenger drones flew in Abu Dhabi, different drones are flying not far-off in Dubai. Earlier in 2024, Joby Aviation, which leads the marketplace for electrical vertical takeoff and touchdown (eVTOL) plane, signed a landmark settlement with the Dubai’s Street and Transport Authority (RTA). With that, it’ll launch air taxi providers in Dubai. Although full industrial operations aren’t set to start till 2026, Joby goals for preliminary exams and demonstrations as early as 2025.
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