Photo: EHang
Last year, the Chinese eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) manufacturer EHang and the Indonesian aviation company Prestige Aviation organized and carried out a flight demonstration of an air taxi in Bali. This year, Prestige Aviation is ready to step things up by ordering an impressive number of units from EHang.
The demonstration flight that was conducted in 2021 gave us a glimpse into the future of tourism, as an innovative air taxi was used for aerial sightseeing over the highly-popular island of Bali. It was convincing enough to determine Prestige Aviation to order 100 units of the EH216 eVTOL developed by EHang. The contract signing ceremony was held at the Indonesia International Motor Show 2022 (IIMS 2022), and it marks the Chinese company’s largest pre-order so far.
Considering that Indonesia is an archipelagic island, it’s not surprising that air taxis would be introduced as an efficient way of connecting the 17,000 islands located between its borders. According to Rudy Salim, Executive Chairman of Prestige Aviation, the EH216 aircraft will support inter-island mobility, in line with the Indonesian new capital Nusantara’s Smart City initiative.
The EH216 AAV (autonomous aerial vehicle) is described as a short-range two-seater that can fly for up to 22 miles (35 km) on a single charge. Boasting a top speed of 80.7 mph (130 kph) and a maximum altitude of 9,800 feet (3,000 meters), the AAV is equipped with a battery that can be fully recharged in two hours. EHang also developed an option with a greater range. Called the VT30, this AAV could cover distances of up to 300 km (186 miles), with its battery allowing it to fly for 100 minutes without recharging.
This pre-order for 100 units of the EH216 is EHang’s largest one until now, but it also secured significant orders in Japan and Malaysia.
Considering that Indonesia is an archipelagic island, it’s not surprising that air taxis would be introduced as an efficient way of connecting the 17,000 islands located between its borders. According to Rudy Salim, Executive Chairman of Prestige Aviation, the EH216 aircraft will support inter-island mobility, in line with the Indonesian new capital Nusantara’s Smart City initiative.
The EH216 AAV (autonomous aerial vehicle) is described as a short-range two-seater that can fly for up to 22 miles (35 km) on a single charge. Boasting a top speed of 80.7 mph (130 kph) and a maximum altitude of 9,800 feet (3,000 meters), the AAV is equipped with a battery that can be fully recharged in two hours. EHang also developed an option with a greater range. Called the VT30, this AAV could cover distances of up to 300 km (186 miles), with its battery allowing it to fly for 100 minutes without recharging.
This pre-order for 100 units of the EH216 is EHang’s largest one until now, but it also secured significant orders in Japan and Malaysia.
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