EHang electric air taxi receives first flight permit in China
The company received a certificate of “airworthiness” from Chinese regulators after tests earlier this year.
The EHang EH216-S autonomous two-seater aircraft has received a certificate from Chinese regulators that will allow the Guangzhou-based company to work with local partners and conduct aerial tours of scenic areas such as Tianchi Lake in Xinjiang Province.
According to EHang, the flying taxi can travel at a speed of about 100 kilometers per hour for 25 minutes, but the price of flights is not disclosed.
The authorization from the Civil Aviation Administration of China gives EHang a potential advantage over many competitors in the United States and Europe who are vying to meet the stringent certification requirements. Air taxis often use batteries or innovative types of materials, which makes them more difficult to evaluate.
“Getting certified is a ticket to profitability. It also gives us an advantage over the US,” says Hu Huachi, founder and CEO of EHang.
On the back of the news, EHang’s shares almost doubled, and last week the company was valued at about $1 billion.
doing my best james bond impression at ehang’s flying taxi facility in shenzhen pic.twitter.com/7YVSiN8NaD
– Allen Wan (@allenwan290) August 17, 2022
Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation in the United States, as well as German Volocopter, which plans to provide services during the Olympic Games in Paris next year, are also aiming for certification in the near future.
The basic models of all these electric aircraft require the presence of a pilot, unlike the EH216-S. Archer is partnering with Wisk, a subsidiary of Boeing, to produce an autonomous eVTOL in the future.
At the same time, regulators are still taking a cautious approach – in July, the US Federal Aviation Administration said it expects flying taxis to appear in the country no earlier than 2028. Meanwhile, Archer’s CEO said in June that the regulator’s position makes it “extremely difficult” to bring vehicles to market.
Some startups, such as the Kittyhawk project by Google co-founder Larry Page, were forced to shut down their operations.
EHang reported that it has received pre-orders for 100 EH216-S aircraft in China and more than 1,200 more models from overseas markets including Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia.
