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EHang, the Chinese language electrical vertical takeoff and touchdown (eVTOL) firm, has made some severe 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 not too long ago accomplished the primary passenger-carrying eVTOL demo flights outdoors of China in Abu Dhabi, which is a rich Center Japanese 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 completed 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 Normal Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA).
Now these have been simply demonstrations, however EHang is setting its sights on precise routes. The 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 grow to be an built-in a part of our transportation community.
That stated, EHang not too long ago 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 under:
Different cities need in, too. On Could 31, 2024, EHang introduced that the Xishan Tourism division had ordered 50 models of EHang’s EH216-S pilotless plane, with extra to come back over the subsequent few years. The 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 latest productive forces and serves as a brand new observe for industrial improvement in addition to a brand new engine driving financial development,” Xiangjun Jin, Governor of Shanxi Province, stated in a ready assertion. “We hope that EHang’s experience in commercializing the low-altitude economic system can be a precious supply of inspiration and reference for Shanxi’s improvement on this space.”
What we all know to this point concerning 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 sort certificates, manufacturing certificates and customary airworthiness certificates for passenger-carrying pilotless eVTOL plane —— all issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China.
EHang’s EH216 is a two-seater, absolutely autonomous car that appears like a large 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 big title 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 automotive to start out the kind 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 Highway and Transport Authority (RTA). With that, it’ll launch air taxi companies in Dubai. Although full industrial operations aren’t set to start till 2026, Joby goals for preliminary assessments and demonstrations as early as 2025.
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