Chinese Passenger Drone Makes Maiden Flight

There are several companies currently developing drones capable of transporting passengers, but the most significant and most recent breakthrough comes from China, where a company called EHang Inc. has been working on its take on the soon-to-bloom transportation market segment.

Its vehicle, the EHang 184, made it's maiden flight this week, carrying humans. And there is video to prove it. The drone drives itself and can officially carry only one passenger, whose weight should not exceed 100 kg. The flight autonomy for the drone is 23 minutes, and it can travel at a speed of 100 km/h (60 mph).

Despite the weight specifications, EHang says and shows how during the test flights the drone carried two people at the same time.

If the name Ehang rings any bells, that's because it is the same company that partnered with Dubai to develop self-flying drone taxis. The 184 is an all-electric drone that will only fly in good weather and has safety features which will help it make emergency landings should it detect something goes wrong. It takes about an hour to recharge the batteries to full capacity.

"None of the traditional flying vehicles can achieve the goal of fully autonomous flying, so they are still far away from common people. But our successful flight today means the scenes that we used to only see in sci-fi movies are now very close to common people," said Hu Huazhi, Ehang CEO.

EHang envisions a future where its passenger carrying drone will not only be used for transportation, but also as an emergency rescue vehicle, or patient transport.