EHang can pride itself on being the company that launched the first 100% autonomous electric flying taxi, the EHang 216. This has received accreditation from the Chinese authorities which allows it to be operated commercially.
The EHang company has just announced that its Unmanned eVTOL, the EHang 216, has just obtained a type certificate from the Chinese authorities. It is a world first, and Chinese citizens are well on their way to inaugurating flying taxis before anyone else. In fact, no other company is yet able to offer an electric plane with fully automatic piloting. really marketable.
To read – Flying taxis: a Chinese manufacturer promises the first commercial flights from 2025
The EHang 216 is an electric aircraft with vertical takeoff and landing without a pilot. Eight electric motors propel this passenger transport vehicle (2 maximum) 1.93 m high and 5.73 m wide. Its compact dimensions and relatively light weight of 620 kg allow it to fly at a maximum speed of 130 km/h over a distance of 30 km. A fairly low autonomy compared to Volocopter’s VoloConnect which travels 100 km on a charge, for example, but which makes the EHang 216 a means of transport ideal for short trips in urban areas.
The EHang 216 is the world’s first marketable electric flying taxi
Obviously, the designers thought about the safety of passengers, by installing all the same a “redundant flight control system and parachute” in the cabin. Will we soon see fleets of EHang flying taxis around the world? This is highly unlikely, as the type certificate is currently only valid in China. European and American authorities are much slower than Beijing in defining the regulatory framework for eVTOLs. We should therefore not see flying taxis flying over French cities before 2025, at best.
EHang can still pop champagne. The company can now charge for its autonomous flying taxi services, at least in China. She could garner know-how and enormous profitsfive to six years before the competition has even presented its products.
