Photo: EHang
EHang officially holds the type certificate issued by the Civil Aviation Administration in China (CAAC) for its self-flying passenger eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing). This is an industry first not just in China but worldwide, paving the way for autonomous passenger flights everywhere.
China already has driverless robotaxis roaming around some of its public streets and will soon have pilot-free electric aircraft flying above. EHang beat all other eVTOL manufacturers on the way to official certification.
While the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) still requires autonomous air taxis to have pilots on board for safety reasons (according to the latest guidelines issued this summer), CAAC gave EHang's air taxi the green light for fully autonomous operations.
There's no official information about the location where EHang plans to kick off commercial operations, but the manufacturer shook hands with numerous aviation operators in the last years, both in China and abroad.
Its main partners include Xiyu Tourism, which is gearing up to launch low-altitude tourism operations with more than 100 EHang air taxis in the next five years. International collaborators such as Japan AirX, Aerotree in Malaysia, and Prestige in Indonesia have also ordered more than 1,000 units collectively.
The EH216-S obtained certification in China in less than three years. The Guangzhou-based manufacturer first applied for type certification at the beginning of 2021. Its autonomous test flights date back to 2017. Over the years, EHang says it has conducted more than 40,000 such test flights. The extensive testing required for the certification process also included validation tests across 65 major categories. In 2022, the company completed a demo flight tour across four cities in Japan.
This milestone paves the way not only for commercial autonomous operations but also for similar certification paths in other parts of the world. CAAC issued the Special Conditions for the EH216-S UAV System early last year, described by EHang as "a rigorous and scientific regulatory framework" and “a pioneering initiative" in the global context.
The Chinese eVTOL maker is currently trying to establish the launch location for its self-flying air taxis and is gearing up to expand internationally as soon as next year.
The EH216-S was also the first air vehicle of its kind to be selected by a European security institution. In 2022, the Spanish National Police (SNP) added the Chinese eVTOL to its fleet as “an alternative technological asset for multiple purposes."
EHang's certified air taxi is a two-seat electric aircraft for short-distance travel, equipped with 16 electric motors, which can fly at a top speed of 80 mph (130 kph) and ensure a range of 18.6 miles (30 km) on a single charge.
The EH216-S is also set to perform at the upcoming World Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan.
While the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) still requires autonomous air taxis to have pilots on board for safety reasons (according to the latest guidelines issued this summer), CAAC gave EHang's air taxi the green light for fully autonomous operations.
There's no official information about the location where EHang plans to kick off commercial operations, but the manufacturer shook hands with numerous aviation operators in the last years, both in China and abroad.
Its main partners include Xiyu Tourism, which is gearing up to launch low-altitude tourism operations with more than 100 EHang air taxis in the next five years. International collaborators such as Japan AirX, Aerotree in Malaysia, and Prestige in Indonesia have also ordered more than 1,000 units collectively.
The EH216-S obtained certification in China in less than three years. The Guangzhou-based manufacturer first applied for type certification at the beginning of 2021. Its autonomous test flights date back to 2017. Over the years, EHang says it has conducted more than 40,000 such test flights. The extensive testing required for the certification process also included validation tests across 65 major categories. In 2022, the company completed a demo flight tour across four cities in Japan.
This milestone paves the way not only for commercial autonomous operations but also for similar certification paths in other parts of the world. CAAC issued the Special Conditions for the EH216-S UAV System early last year, described by EHang as "a rigorous and scientific regulatory framework" and “a pioneering initiative" in the global context.
The Chinese eVTOL maker is currently trying to establish the launch location for its self-flying air taxis and is gearing up to expand internationally as soon as next year.
The EH216-S was also the first air vehicle of its kind to be selected by a European security institution. In 2022, the Spanish National Police (SNP) added the Chinese eVTOL to its fleet as “an alternative technological asset for multiple purposes."
EHang's certified air taxi is a two-seat electric aircraft for short-distance travel, equipped with 16 electric motors, which can fly at a top speed of 80 mph (130 kph) and ensure a range of 18.6 miles (30 km) on a single charge.
The EH216-S is also set to perform at the upcoming World Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan.
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