Category Filtering: 'ehang'
After many months of rumors and speculation, Guangzhou, China-based EHang acknowledged in a tweet on March 9, “EHang has been developing long-range electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicle for years.
The website eVTOL Insights published its “Power Book” in January, its “definitive list of the influencers, innovators and leaders from the last 12 months.” The intent is to recognize excellence and achievement in the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) industry. To be released every year, the Power Book 2021 “recognizes 21 of the industry’s brightest individuals from across the world and their company’s achievements in 2020.”
In order to facilitate a UAM ecosystem around the Paris region, the RATP Group, Groupe ADP and Choose Paris Region launched an international call for interest on Oct. 1. Some 150 applications from 25 countries were received and 30 winners were selected, with the intent to begin conducting experiments in June 2021 in the test area at the Pontoise-Cormeilles-en-Vexin airfield, which was inaugurated on Sept. 30.
In October, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) announced the first Unmanned Civil Aviation Experimental Zones (UCAEZs) to promote China’s global leadership in developing an unmanned civil aviation industry. The list of UCAEZs covers as many as 13 cities, including Hezhou (shown), Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Zigong, Anyang, Nanjing, Tianjin, Yulin, Shenyang, Dongying, Anqing and Ganzhou.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government co-hosted an event with the Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) on Nov. 11 to highlight AAM in Korea. Guangzhou, China-based EHang brought six examples of its two-seat EH216 autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV) and conducted unmanned flights of the 1,435-lb (650-kg) eVTOL, according to Yonhap News Agency. In addition, Korean industrial giants Hyundai and Hanwha displayed one-third-scale models of their vectored-thrust eVTOL designs.
The Vertical Flight Society has been working to advance electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft since 2013, providing technical, professional and business resources to this burgeoning sector. As a leading advocate of the “Electric VTOL Revolution,” VFS has been holding its Electric VTOL Symposiums since 2014, started its Electric VTOL Newsletter in 2016, and launched its Electric VTOL website in 2017.
EHang has been developing a human-passenger electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft along with drones for many years (see “How EHang Build an eVTOL for the World,” Vertiflite, July/Aug 2020). Few aviation startups are poised to take advantage of manned and unmanned urban air mobility (UAM) as EHang.
EHang is a unique story of how a Chinese aviation startup developed electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft on its own. Away from the western urban air mobility (UAM) buzz, EHang today has six models of its manned and unmanned Autonomous Aerial Vehicle (AAV) designs, as well as an ecosystem for managing its aircraft. (Above: In May, EHang received the world’s first approval to conduct a pilot program for unmanned air logistics delivery. All photos via EHang.)
EHang flew its two-passenger 216 Autonomous Aerial Vehicle (unmanned) for a crowd of around 100 in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Jan. 7, in conjunction with the 2020 North Carolina Transportation Summit. This was the first free-flight public eVTOL air taxi demonstration in the US.
VFS members are well aware of the “Electric VTOL Revolution” that has been underway for several years, with more than 250 electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft concepts on the VFS website, www.eVTOL.news. Most of the helicopter OEMs, most visibly Airbus Helicopters and Bell, have been considering eVTOL and urban air mobility (UAM) options for the future.
