Ehang Holdings promoting autonomous air taxis

EHang Holdings, a leading technology company in autonomous aerial vehicles (AAVs), is promoting the commercial operations of passenger-carrying autonomous air taxis and expand its footprint in the global urban air mobility industry. EHang aims to be the first company to launch commercial AAV operations globally, which is likely to happen in the second half of this year, said Edward Xu, EHang’s Chief Strategy Officer. The Guangzhou-based company plans to develop 100 air mobility routes with a focus on the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in the initial stage, and will gradually expand to other parts of the nation, Xu said. It has carried out aerial tours and short-distance air traffic trial operations from nine operating points, including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Zhaoqing in Guangdong province, Hezhou in Guangxi, Sanya in Hainan province and some other cities in cooperation with its partners. The flagship two-seater passenger-grade AAV, the EHang 216, has conducted more than 4,000 trial flights for aerial sightseeing so far.

“The AAVs have a wide range of applications, covering areas such as manned transportation, aerial tourism, aerial logistics, medical emergency response and fire rescue,” Xu said. EHang has established a set of operating mechanisms covering route planning, flight operations, safety management, regulatory compliance as well as digital operation platforms, sales and marketing, he said. In February, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) issued special conditions for EHang 216-S type certification, setting a foundation for airworthiness certification for all AAVs in China. Looking ahead, EHang hopes to obtain an airworthiness certification for its autonomous aircraft EH216-S as soon as possible, as part of its broader push to promote low-altitude passenger-carrying commercial operations in the urban air mobility (UAM) sector, Xu said.

Morgan Stanley projected that the global urban air mobility market will be worth USD1 trillion by 2040 and USD9 trillion by 2050. Xu is upbeat about the prospects of UAM, saying electric autonomous air taxis will help solve traffic congestion in metropolises, greatly reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality in urban areas. But because of the high safety and performance standards that must be met, such autonomous air taxis will still be subject to strict trials before large-scale commercial operations can begin, said Pan Xuefei, Senior Analyst at IDC. Global consultancy Roland Berger estimates there will be up to 3,000 air taxis in operation by 2025 and this figure will increase exponentially to 100,000 by 2050, the China Daily reports.