Ehang completed a passenger-carrying demo flight of the EH216-S in the UAE, and the local debut flights of the EH216-F for high-rise firefighting and the EH216-L for air logistics.
(Image credit: Ehang)
Chinese electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) developer Ehang (NASDAQ: EH) has made its first passenger-carrying demonstration flight in the United Arab Emirates, as it showcases its low-altitude transportation solutions in more overseas markets.
Ehang announced overnight that its EH216-S unmanned aerial vehicle (UAM), for which it has received a Production Certificate in China, has completed its first passenger-carrying demonstration flight in Abu Dhabi, the first of its kind in the UAE and the Middle East.
The EH216-S is powered by batteries for flight and has a maximum takeoff weight of 650 kilograms, according to information previously announced by Ehang.
The UAM has a maximum flight speed of 130 kilometers per hour and a maximum endurance of 25 minutes.
Ehang has obtained the Type Certificate, Airworthiness Certificate, and Production Certificate for the EH216-S in China, making it the first eVTOL maker to obtain all three licenses.
The company announced on February 2 that the official guide price of the EH216-S in China is RMB 2.39 million yuan ($330,000).
The EH216-S is part of Ehang's EH216 series of eVTOLs, which also includes the EH216-F for high-rise firefighting and the EH216-L for aerial logistics.
The EH216-F and EH216-L made their debut flights in the UAE, demonstrating a diverse range of UAM use scenarios of pilotless eVTOL aircraft, Ehang said in an overnight press release.
The EH216 series pilotless eVTOL aircraft performed several autonomous flights at the Emirates Falcons Aviation Club in Al Ali, Abu Dhabi with the approval by the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) of the UAE, according to the company.
Featuring a compact fuselage, high redundancy design and intelligent cluster management, the EH216 series is aimed at serving as a transformative solution to urban transportation challenges such as emissions and congestion.
"After securing the approval for passenger-carrying demo flights and conducting the debut flight, we will actively foster collaboration and communication between the GCAA and the Civil Aviation Administration of China to expedite the progress towards commercial flights of our pilotless aircraft in the UAE, " Ehang founder, chairman and CEO Hu Huazhi said.
Ehang is actively participating in the design and construction of the eVTOL vertical take-off and landing airport with UAE partners and government agencies to prepare for the launch of commercial UAM routes, it said.
The company joined the Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industries Cluster in the UAE and established a strategic partnership with Wings Logistics Hub in December 2023.
Last month, Ehang formed a strategic partnership with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office and MLG to drive the development of eVTOL in the UAE.
Ehang is looking to establish a regional headquarters in Abu Dhabi to facilitate business activities with local partners, including manufacturing, flight operations, research and development, training, and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities, according to the company.
The UAE is another international market Ehang is exploring. At the end of March, the company announced that it had constructed a flight demonstration base in Japan and demonstrated the potential of the EH216-S in an aerial sightseeing scenario.
($1 = RMB 7.2171)
China issues guidelines to promote general aviation equipment, including eVTOLs
億航智能在阿聯酋完成了 EH216-S 的載客演示飛行，以及用於高層消防的 EH216-F 和用於航空物流的 EH216-L 在當地的首次飛行。
（圖片來源：Ehang）
中國電動垂直起降（eVTOL）開發商億航智能（納斯達克股票代碼：EH）在阿拉伯聯合酋長國進行了首次載客演示飛行，該公司在更多海外市場展示了其低空運輸解決方案。
億航隔夜宣佈，其已獲得中國生產證書的 EH216-S 無人駕駛飛行器（UAM）已在阿布扎比完成了首次載客演示飛行，這是阿聯酋和中東的首次此類飛行器。
根據億航先前公佈的信息，EH216-S 由飛行電池供電，最大起飛重量爲 650 千克。
UAM 的最大飛行速度爲每小時 130 千米，最大續航時間爲 25 分鐘。
億航在中國獲得了 EH216-S 的型號證書、適航證書和生產證書，使其成爲第一家獲得全部三個許可證的 eVTOL 製造商。
該公司於2月2日宣佈，EH216-S 在中國的官方指導價爲239萬元人民幣（合33萬美元）。
EH216-S 是 Ehang 的 EH216 系列 EVTOL 的一部分，該系列還包括用於高層消防的 EH216-F 和用於空中物流的 EH216-L。
億航智能在隔夜的新聞稿中說，EH216-F 和 EH216-L 在阿聯酋首次飛行，展示了無人駕駛eVTOL飛機的各種UAM使用場景。
據該公司稱，經阿聯酋民航總局（GCAA）批准，EH216 系列無人駕駛 eVTOL 飛機在阿布扎比阿里的阿聯酋獵鷹航空俱樂部進行了多次自動飛行。
EH216 系列具有緊湊的機身、高冗餘設計和智能集群管理，旨在爲排放和擁堵等城市交通挑戰提供變革性解決方案。
億航創始人、董事長兼首席執行官胡華志說：“在獲得載客演示飛行的批准並進行了首次飛行之後，我們將積極促進GCAA與中國民用航空局之間的合作與溝通，以加快我們的無人駕駛飛機在阿聯酋的商業飛行進展。”
它說，億航智能正在與阿聯酋合作伙伴和政府機構一起積極參與eVTOL垂直起降機場的設計和建設，爲UAM商業航線的啓動做準備。
該公司加入了阿聯酋的智能和自動駕駛汽車產業集群，並於2023年12月與Wings物流中心建立了戰略合作伙伴關係。
上個月，億航智能與阿布扎比投資辦公室和MLG建立了戰略合作伙伴關係，以推動阿聯酋eVTOL的發展。
據該公司稱，億航智能計劃在阿布扎比建立地區總部，以促進與當地合作伙伴的業務活動，包括製造、飛行運營、研發、培訓以及維護、維修和大修（MRO）設施。
阿聯酋是億航智能正在探索的另一個國際市場。三月底，該公司宣佈已在日本建造了一個飛行演示基地，並展示了 EH216-S 在空中觀光場景中的潛力。
($1 = 人民幣 7.2171)
中國發布了推廣通用航空設備的指導方針，包括EVTOL
