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EHang has reached another milestone in development of its EH216 eVTOL announcing this week they have completed a fully autonomous flight with passengers on board.

The flight was conducted along Tanoura Beach in Oita, Japan under the approval of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism of Japan. Onboard were two passengers and no pilot as the EH216 completed a short, autonomous flight profile.

Sato Kiichiro, Mayor of Oita, Oita Prefecture, Japan, attended the event and delivered a speech saying, “Last July, EH216 completed its Japan’s first point-to-point trial flight in Oita, receiving overwhelming responses. Today, EH216 takes on the challenge of passenger-carrying flight here, and I am very pleased to witness this moment. I hope that today’s passenger-carrying flight test will accelerate autonomous aerial vehicles to take a further step toward practical use cases, so that this industry full of opportunities could be in full swing.”

Xin Fang, Chief Operating Officer of EHang, stated, “Over the past two years, EH216 has achieved one milestone after another in Japan with several rounds of demo and trial flights. This year brought passengers the possibility of riding in the air with this cutting-edge product and technology. All these milestones are inextricably linked to the support and trust of MLIT of Japan, local government departments, and our partners. EHang has also demonstrated the reliability of our AAV products. We will continue working with our partners to promote safe, autonomous, and eco-friendly UAM solutions in Japan so as to benefit more people worldwide with our passenger-grade AAVs.”

Why it matters: EHang has a strong relationship with Japan’s aviation regulatory agency and other industry groups in the area. Last year, the company completed several demonstration flights in the region and the continues to parter with stakeholders in Japan on highlighting the business case and opportunities for the Japanese UAM industry.

Chinese Autonomous Aerial Vehicle (“AAV”) technology platform company, EHang, announced that the EH216 AAV has completed its maiden flight by the Spanish National Police (“SNP”) at the National Academy of Police in Ávila, Spain, to initiate its trial operations by SNP in Spain. 

The public maiden flight ceremony was attended and witnessed by distinguished guests and officials from the Spanish State for Security, SNP, the Spanish State Aviation Safety Agency (“AESA”), members of academic institutions, as well as the media. 

By partnering with EHang since October 2021, SNP plans to utilize EH216 aircraft in emergency and public safety missions; such as accessing contaminated areas with nuclear, radiological, bacteriological or chemical risks, landing in confined areas, aerial logistics, and other police services that may require agile and efficient aerial mobility.

The maiden flight ceremony was presided by Rafael Pérez, the Secretary of the Spanish State for Security. “The SNP is the first security institution in the European Union to operate an AAV. Unmanned aircraft systems (“UAS”) constitute an alternative technological asset for multiple purposes, such as deployment in dangerous areas following a natural disaster or an accident, without endangering human lives. The lower operating costs of UAS and their constant new applications show great advantages over traditional aerial means,” Pérez said. 

Pedro Prieto, the Director of Aerial Means of Spanish National Police, noted, “The capability to operate the EH216 AAV from a remote command and control station, which may be hundreds of kilometers away, reflects the National Police’s commitment to fulfill its digital transformation objectives.” 

Victoria Jing Xiang, Chief Operating Officer of EHang Europe and Latin America, shared, “EHang is proud to partner with a law enforcement agency and support SNP with our AAV technologies to fulfill emergency response and public safety missions. SNP’s entry into trial operation of EH216 AAV lays a foundation for the deployment of Urban Air Mobility in Europe and sets an excellent example of commitment to public safety through advancing technology.”

Why it’s important: EHang has continued to extended its reach in Europe, now with the launch of trial operations in Spain. A successful partnership with the SSP will build Ehang’s global credibility, and continue its path toward reputable commercial operations, as the company competes with other international manufacturers to edge market share in this budding industry.

EHang, the Chinese eVTOL firm which trades on the Nasdaq, has posted 2Q earnings with total revenue up 152% from 2Q 2021 and increasing pre-orders in its Asia market. The firm also logged firm orders for 8 of its EH216 prototype eVTOL, bringing its 2022 sale/delivery total to 11.

The EH216-S Type Certification process has progressed into new phases following that the Civil Aviation Administration of China (“CAAC”) issued EHang with the first Special Conditions for TC of a human-carrying unmanned aircraft system specially for EH216-S in February 2022. The CAAC TC expert team and EHang have reached a consensus on the Project Specific Certification Plan, Certification Basis, and the Certification Plan, respectively.

On top of references to CCAR-23 and many other internationally recognized regulations and standards, and conventional aircraft configuration management and airworthiness experience, EHang certification team has made further innovative explorations on new topics related to unmanned aircraft system, such as unmanned system, data link and ground control system, and worked out 13 means of compliance applicable to EH216.

Mr. Huazhi Hu, EHang’s Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, “During the past quarter, we achieved excellent results from our efforts in actively adapting to the macro environment and gradually recovering from the continuous impact of the COVID-19 resurgence in China. Our unique and leading AAV products and solutions drove the increases in orders, pre-orders, deliveries and customers especially in domestic and Southeast Asia markets, bringing total revenues to an increase of up to 152.5% quarter-over-quarter and high quarterly gross margin of 67.1%. We are pleased to expand our strategic business and financial partners, such as C.P. Group in Thailand on AAV sales and UAM operations, and the Agricultural Bank of China Guangzhou Branch with RMB1 billion indicative credit facilities for long-term cooperation, which will further diversify our funding sources to propel our future growth.”

“More importantly, we are grateful for both the CAAC and our certification team’s efforts, professionalism, innovation spirit, and great support, that made our today’s certification progress and breakthrough possible, bringing us closer to the goal of the EH216-S type certification and a new era of urban air mobility.”

Why it matters: EHang is expecting a strong outlook for its eVTOL prototype and marketability. EHang continues to move forward its EH216 certification, securing more product orders, and expanding its regional aerial media business in the Europe market. If it can acheive type certificate from China’s CAAC, expect strong market share in many Asian markets for the EHang EH216.

Source: EHang Press Release

EHang announced that its EH216 AAV has successfully completed a demo flight tour across 4 cities in Japan in July and expanded its footprint for the first time into the Kansai region, Kyushu region and Shikoku region after its demo flights in Okayama and Fukushima cities last year.

On July 18th, EH216 made an appearance on the ceremonial day marking the 1,000-day countdown to the opening of the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai. These recent unmanned EH216 demo flights in Japan included over-the-sea flights as well as point-to-point flights.

With the support of EHang’s local partners, including Okayama Kurashiki Mizushima Aero & Space Industry Cluster Study Group, this EH216 flight tour in 4 Japanese cities made multiple breakthroughs in exploring urban air mobility use cases such as aerial sightseeing over the sea, air mobility, and smart logistics in Japan. On July 6, EH216 performed Japan’s first eVTOL demo flight over the sea for aerial sightseeing in Fukuyama City in Hiroshima Prefecture. On July 13, EH216 completed Japan’s first eVTOL point-to-point demo flight for air mobility in Oita City in Oita Prefecture. On July 21, EH216 conducted a demo flight carrying 80 kilograms of cargos for logistics transportation in Sakaide City in Kagawa Prefecture. Other than flight demos, EH216 has also been exhibited in downtown Oita on July 14 to further expand public cognition and interest in UAM for its future operations in Japan.

The Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai will introduce new and innovative VTOL technology to the public and has plans to use eVTOL vehicles for visitor transportation at the Expo. Japanese authorities have established a public-private council for air transportation reformation in accelerating the implementation of related schemes and roadmaps. On the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai 1000-day countdown ceremonial day, EH216 successfully completed a demo flight in Amagasaki City in Hyogo Prefecture, witnessed by local government officials and the Consulate-General of China in Osaka as well as press, in order to assist local authorities in exploring the application of autonomous air mobility solutions and promote eVTOL flights at the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai.

Why it’s important: EH216’s flexibility in operability across multiple locales in quick succession are exemplary of the types of operation that eVTOL and AAM aircraft will support in the future. While the various use cases of EHang’s flights might not all be served in a single day of eVTOL operation, in certain situations they might be able to, if the need arises. Additionally, EHang’s increased flight footprint in Japan provides the opportunity for additional air traffic infrastructure to be laid in countries other than EHang’s native China, which will advance the global regulatory progression of UAM as well.

EHang announced on April 11 that it has secured the largest pre-order to date for passenger grade AAV’s in Asia. This new strategic partnership between EHang and Prestige Aviation will greatly advance the rollout of aerial mobility services in Indonesia, and EHang’s UAM technology would be able to contribute to the Indonesian new capital Nusantara’s Smart City initiative.

The pre-order from Prestige Aviation, a subsidiary of Prestige Corp, was for 100 units of EH216 AAVs. Previously, Prestige Aviation purchased one unit of EH216 from EHang, and the two parties jointly conducted a debut flight demonstration for aerial sightseeing in Bali, Indonesia in 2021.

Rudy Salim, Executive Chairman of Prestige Aviation, said, “EHang has long been a crucial partner to Prestige Aviation. As a forerunner of Indonesia’s sustainable transportation, we hope that we can address the Indonesian public’s need for aerial transportation and therefore, we are ready to support the Indonesian new capital Nusantara’s Smart City initiative with EH216 AAVs. Indonesia is an archipelagic country with more than 17,000 islands within its borders. Therefore, a new transportation mode that can facilitate inter-island mobility will undoubtedly help regional economies to grow exponentially, assisted by its low cost when compared to other conventional land routes. We will join hands with EHang to bring safe, efficient, economical and eco-friendly transport solutions to facilitate inter-island mobility and many other scenarios in Indonesia.”

Hu Huazhi, Founder, Chairman and CEO of EHang, attended the online ceremony and commented, “We sincerely appreciate all the support and recognition of Prestige Aviation and our expanding network of partners, which inspire EHang to further expand our global market. We will continue our in-depth collaboration with Prestige Aviation on UAM in Indonesia. We believe that, as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (“RCEP”) brings favorable policies to international cooperation, we will further accelerate the development of UAM in Asia Pacific region with the aim to benefit the people with cutting-edge AAV technologies.”

Why it’s important: This pre-order for EHang 216 AAV’s allows Indonesia to be well poised for future progress in the aerial mobility space and also emphasizes the importance of many global regions’ progress and preparation for a future with democratized aviation as a cornerstone of transportation infrastructure.

Ehang announced on March 10th a strategic partnership with Aerotree Flight Services, a subsidiary of Malaysia’s leading aviation company AEROTREE Group, to jointly develop urban air mobility business, including Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul and training, in Malaysia. EHang reports that due to this partnership, AEROTREE has placed the largest pre-order for EHang’s electric passenger-grade AAVs in Malaysia for 50 units of the EH216 series, which includes the EH216-S¹, EH216-L, and EH216-F, as well as 10 units of the VT-30, EHang’s long-range eVTOL. Prior to this partnership announcement, AEROTREE had purchased one unit of the EH216-S AAV from EHang.

The partnership is now also being touted as one of the largest, if not the largest, pre-order of AAV aircraft from a Malaysian operator in history.

Dato’ Halim Bin Othman, Managing Director of AEROTREE Group, said, “We are very excited about our strategic partnership with EHang to introduce the world’s leading safe, sustainable and autonomous aerial vehicles to the Malaysian market. Leveraging our full spectrum of capabilities and partnerships that span from MRO to training, we eagerly anticipate using EHang AAVs for Malaysia’s UAM projects and civil aviation.”

Mr. Huazhi Hu, Founder, Chairman and CEO of EHang, said, “We are pleased to enter the Malaysian market and increase our presence there through our cooperation with AEROTREE. Our comprehensive AAV products and solutions are well suited to a variety of intracity and intercity UAM use cases in Malaysia, such as passenger transportation, aerial sightseeing, aerial firefighting and aerial logistics. The rising demand and pre-orders for a large number of our passenger-grade AAVs from Japan and Malaysia will unleash great market potential for EHang in Asia.”

Why it’s important: The order reflects a growing network of operators of advanced aerial mobility aircraft in Malaysia, and will aid in the development of further route networks that offer more data to new environmental and operational schema. The pace of orders has continued at a steady to more rapid pace in the recent months, as demand to jockey for position in line for AAV orders grows.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has formally issued the special conditions necessary for EHang to to obtain EH-216-S type certification. The Chinese aerial mobility company will need to follow these conditions for its two-seater eVTOL aircraft, the EH-216, in order to begin mass production and commercial operations. The conditions include criteria regarding flight performance, structures, design and constructions, propulsion systems, systems and equipment, and data link and ground control stations.

The 32-page special conditions document, effective February 9th, is now published on the CAAC website. If EHang successfully meets the requirements detailed in this document, the company’s EH-216-S will be able to begin commercial operations focused on low-altitude, passenger-carrying flights.

EHang’s rapid progress, which is currently years ahead of many competitors, can largely be attributed to a consensus with the CAAC (Civil Aviation Administration of China) which, according to Founder, Chairman and CEO Huazhi Hu, is based “on the guiding principle that operational trial flights can gradually be carried out, while advancing the certification progress.”

The company says it has already completed around 2,800 “operational trial flights” across seven “air mobility trial operations”, providing aerial sightseeing and short-distance mobility services in Guangzhou, Hezhou, Shenzen, Zhaoqing and Sanya. Most recently, the EHang 216 autonomous aerial vehicle (“AAV”) completed a debut flight demonstration for aerial sightseeing in the tourism hotspot of Bali, Indonesia. This demonstration flight was conducted under EHang’s cooperation with Indonesian local partner Prestige Aviation, a subsidiary of Prestige Corp.

This news follows the appointment of EHang’s new Chief Operating Officer, Xin Fang. Fang will be in charge of the company’s daily operations, managing sales and commercialization of EHang’s planned aerial mobility services.

“I’m delighted to welcome Xin Fang to join EHang’s management team,” said Huazhi Hu, founder, chair, and CEO of EHang, in a press release. Hu went on to say that Fang’s background will “lay the solid groundwork for our next stage of business growth and operations as we are moving ahead with the 100 Air Mobility Routes Initiative, especially in the field of aerial sightseeing and tourism.”

Why it’s important: Obtaining type certification under the new special conditions will enable EHang to begin commercial operations in the near future, potentially years ahead of other air taxi makers. In addition, EHang’s high number of completed demonstration flights and its 20,000 autonomous trial flights with the EH216 have taken place 11 different countries – far more, the company claims, than any other manufacturer. “With abundant operational experience accumulated and safety records built,” reads EHang’s earnings report, “the Company expects to turn these operational trial flights into commercial ones after the approval of the EHang 216 Type Certificate is obtained.”

Source // EHang press release

EHang announced last week that it has partnered with Guangzhou Development District Communications Investment Group Co., LTD, GDDCI, to jointly launch the 5G Intelligent Air Mobility Experience Center at the Innovation Park in Huangpu District, Guangzhou, China. The Experience Center is designed and developed as a location with all the necessary infrastructures for EHang AAVs under the 100 Air Mobility Routes Initiative. EHang has selected Guangzhou as the pilot city for investing in urban air mobility (“UAM”) infrastructure construction in the urban area to enable citizens to enjoy air mobility experience in the near future. Several operational flight routes have been planned and tested for passenger transportation, aerial sightseeing, aerial logistics, etc. in Guangzhou.

The 5G Intelligent Air Mobility Experience Center spans 2,000 square meters and is equipped with a rooftop take-off and landing vertiport as well as a hangar for power charging and maintenance. Powered by 5G telecommunication networks, the center relies on the EHang’s command-and-control system platform to enable trial operations for the EH216, Falcon B and other eVTOL models, for various UAM and smart city management applications. Furthermore, the 5G Intelligent Air Mobility Experience Center is integrated with an Automatic Guided Vehicle Parking Garage, which provides a convenient infrastructure for a seamless transfer experience in car travel and aerial trip in the future.

EHang 216 in flight over Guangzhou. Image // EHang Aerial Mobility

EHang and GDDCI have founded this joint venture for establishing the 5G Intelligent Air Mobility Experience Center as well as local UAM route planning and AAV operations. With the UAM mapping across four central areas in Guangzhou’s Huangpu district, several operational flight routes have been planned and tested for passenger transportation, aerial sightseeing, aerial logistics, smart city management, etc.

Huazhi Hu, Founder, Chairman and CEO of EHang, said, “Guangzhou is EHang’s first global urban air mobility pilot city and the 5G Intelligent Air Mobility Experience Center has become the latest operation spot under the 100 Air Mobility Routes Initiative. We will use the world’s leading AAV technologies and command-and-control system to provide intelligent, comprehensive solutions for urban air mobility and smart city management in Guangzhou. We expect to build Guangzhou into a model city for UAM and have plans to extend it to more cities across the country and worldwide.”

Watch a video of the experience center: https://youtu.be/TSECvprStkk

Why it’s important: This new experience center will allow the public to gain a better understanding of typical aerial mobility operations, and also will serve as a proving grounds for deconfliction among 5G band telecommunications infrastructure and flight control software components. In parallel, the commercial air travel industry globally is tangling with deployment of 5G cell towers in the vicinity of airports, as the frequency band of 5G operation abuts that of radio altimeters used in aircraft for automatic flight path guidance and landing parameter inputs. While not all eVTOLs make use of radio altimeters, a proven deconfliction of 5G telecommunication systems and aerial mobility aircraft flight path controllers is crucial to future success of eVTOL operations, as many target routes have a node, either departure or arrival, at a medium to large sized airport, at least for initial operations.

EHang announced via press release last week that they’re now coordinating with the Spanish National Police to explore potential use cases for AAVs in emergency and security missions. EHang also conducted an exhibition of the EHang 216 passenger-grade AAV in Spain at the Cuatro Vientos Aerodrome in Madrid, as part of Press Day of Expodronica at World Air Traffic Management Congress.

EHang and the Spanish National Police plan to work closely to use the AAV in emergency situations such as rescue, surveillance and other missions that are critical for improving the quality of life and safety of citizens. As a result of this collaboration, the Spanish National Police and EHang, together with the Polytechnic University of Valencia (“UPV”), will demonstrate how to best utilize revolutionary AAV technology through trial flights and use case analysis, thus exploring safer and more effective solutions for saving more lives.

The EHang 216 at Cuatro Vientos Aerodrome, Madrid. Image // EHang

The Chief Commissioner of the Air Vehicles Unit of Spanish National Police affirmed the collaboration with EHang and the UPV represent progress in determining the best uses of AAV for policing, “AAV technology holds the promise to significantly improve our capability in emergency and security missions, such as firefighting, accessing contaminated areas with nuclear, radiological, bacteriological or chemical risks, landing in confined areas, transporting material, and other police services that may require agile mobility. The application of the AAV technology makes the Spanish National Police a vanguard among police using AAV technology nationally and internationally.”

Victoria Xiang, CEO of EHang Spain & LATAM, emphasized that collaborating with the Spanish National Police is very important for EHang. “The application of AAVs in emergency, national security matters and the fight against the pandemic is crucial and advantageous for the public sector. Autonomous, sustainable, and efficient mobility enables the authorities to execute their tasks in an environmentally friendly manner. EHang and the Spanish National Police will work jointly to leverage this cutting-edge technology to benefit citizens and society.”

Why it’s important: A large focus of AAV implementation hones on passenger carrying operations, but the EMS and security application for the technology may be ready sooner than commercial transport, due to regulatory approvals, public and social benefit, and technological appropriateness for aerial mobility aircraft in EMS and surveillance/security roles. EHang has a track record of seeking partnership with firms that span beyond personal transport, to include fire, security, and government services. Expect the trend of AAV deployment to follow logistical applications and limited EMS/Police force arenas first, ultimately progressing to on-demand commercial.

EHang made the debut of its long-range dual-seat passenger-grade AAV VT-30 at the Jiuzhou Airport in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, before the upcoming 13th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, also known as the Zhuhai Air Show.

VT-30 Long Range AAV. Image courtesy of EHang

The VT-30, was officially released this year in May, and is the first in EHang’s product suite that is designed for inter-city transportation. With a hybrid structure, VT-30 is designed to achieve a maximum balance of hybrid lift and push, which has the advantages of intelligent safety features, autonomous flying capabilities, cluster management, low noise and so on. The VT-30 is designed to carry two passengers, with a designed flight distance of 300km and a designed flight time of 100 minutes.

Edward Xu, Chief Strategy Officer of EHang said, “EHang will continue to innovate and improve the future Urban Air Mobility (“UAM”) ecosystem. The VT-30, which focuses on inter-city travel, will be a complement to the EHang 216, which focuses on intra-city air mobility, to bring safe, autonomous and eco-friendly air mobility for everyone.”

As a pioneer in the global UAM industry, EHang was granted two honors – the Guangdong Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (“UAV”) Industry Outstanding Contribution Award and the Guangdong UAV Social Responsibility Contribution Award – by the Guangdong General Aviation Association and the Guangdong UAV Industry Association at the 2021 2nd General Aviation Night event. These accolades reflect the industry’s recognition of EHang’s active innovation in the exploration and development of general aviation.

Watch the VT-30 video: https://youtu.be/I7mMS6Ir7qs

Why it’s important: EHang’s debut of the VT-30 reflects a larger momentum shift within the aerial mobility industry toward consideration of short to medium distance electric hybrid aircraft that are not solely designed for intracity application – since hybridized propulsion and flight control approaches are likely to be those that are deployed the soonest, the same approach toward use case – missions of 20-100 miles, for instance – has a reasonable chance of being the most lucrative offering for initial eVTOL deployment. While time will tell, an increasing number of aerial mobility companies are currently augmenting their offerings with slightly longer range autonomous air vehicles.

Source // EHang Press Release

EHang announced on September 3rd that their EHang 216 and Falcon logistics models have completed Beyond Visual Line of Sight (“BVLOS”) trial flights for airport transport and parcel delivery in Estonia under the European Union’s GOF 2.0 Integrated Urban Airspace Validation (“GOF 2.0”) project to demonstrate safe, autonomous and eco-friendly urban air mobility (“UAM”) and the integration of unmanned aerial vehicles and air taxis into manned operations with air traffic management (“ATM”) and U-space services.

The Estonian Transport Administration issued a Special Permit to EHang for trial flights in designated Estonian airspace until the end of 2021.

The EHang 216 is the first passenger-grade AAV to have conducted BVLOS trial flights in Estonian airspace. During its live trials, the EHang 216 performed a flight mission of a VIP passenger transport scenario from the Tartu Airport to the Estonian Aviation Museum, with no passengers onboard, to demonstrate the uses cases and scenarios of eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) intra-urban and peri-urban flights. The EHang Falcon logistics model completed a flight mission of parcel delivery from the Tartu Airport to a cargo terminal at the Estonian Aviation Museum, to demonstrate the uses cases and scenarios of automated parcel delivery drones operating at low level.

These trial flights are among the first wave of trials in the two-year GOF 2.0 project, with the focus of entry to and exit from defined airspaces. The trials demonstrate how manned and unmanned aviation can enter and leave various types of airspace, such as controlled/uncontrolled airspace and U-space airspace.

EHang has conducted multiple trial and demo flights of its passenger-grade AAVs in 10 countries across Asia, Europe, and North America. The company will continue further involvements in GOF 2.0 and plans to conduct more trial flights in Europe to demonstrate the validity, safety, security and sustainability of unmanned aerial systems and manned operations in a unified, dense urban airspace using existing ATM and U-space services and systems. These trial flights are an important enabler for the further development of the unmanned aerial vehicle market and will deliver the technical components (services, software, competencies, practices) required to cost-efficiently operate autonomous and semi-autonomous aerial vehicles BVLOS in urban low-level shared airspace.

Watch the video of the trial flights in Estonia:

Why it’s important: Operation of AAVs in new countries will further bolster the integrity of agreements for logistical and eventually passenger mobility operations. With a larger number of discussions taking place between local and national aviation authorities, definition of regulatory requirements will become more clear for AAV operators, which in turn will inform the design process to customize their aircraft for plug and play operability in various countries. Currently, logistics applications are the testbed for such trial flights since they reduce the risks associated with carrying human passengers, but still define the same requirements for AAVs operating within controlled airspace and near densely populated areas.

Source // EHang Press Release

EHang recently cancelled its Yunfu Investor Day due to the latest tightening COVID-19-related travel and group gathering restrictions by the local governmental authorities following the recent Delta variant outbreak in China. The event was originally scheduled to take place in person at the Company’s new Yunfu production facility on August 18th. As an alternative, the Company has posted a video of the Yunfu production facility in operation for investors’ reference.

The EHang Yunfu production facility is approximately 24,000 square meters in gross floor area to house the major AAV production processes from manufacturing of key components and carbon fiber composite airframes to AAV assembling and flight testing in designated function areas.

In February, EHang had provided an update on the development of its new AAV production facility in Yunfu city, China.  At the time, the retrofitting process of the existing building was being completed and production of EHang AAVs was expected to start in the second quarter of 2021. The facility is now operational and is the assembly site of both the two-seat autonomous 216 multicopters and the longer-range VT30 autonomous lift and cruise aircraft. The vehicles are currently being manufactured at an unspecified rate, but are being completed and flight-tested at the facility’s vertiport depicted below:

Credit // EHang

Why it’s important: As companies such as EHang and Joby begin their forays into the public markets, they are becoming increasingly cognizant of stockholder pressure and perceived financial value. Business decisions are now made with external influence in mind, and how they may affect the company’s stock price as well as public opinions. This press release from EHang exhibits exactly this mentality – while COVID-19 continues to have a persistent impact on public events and the ability of some companies to make consistent forward progress, EHang counters what could have been perceived as negative news with a media release of the progress it has made on its production facility.

Since the beginning of the recent coronavirus resurgence in China’s Guangdong Province, EHang has leveraged its autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV) technology by dispatching a flight operations team and multiple AAVs for COVID-19 relief and control efforts in Guangzhou City.

Beginning June 4th, EHang has successively deployed the passenger-grade AAV EHang 216, EHang 216L (logistics model), EHang Falcon B series and Falcon B (logistics) for epidemic prevention and control efforts.

The EHang passenger AAV (autonomous aerial vehicle), 216 model, is the baseline configuration for many of the current COVID-19 relief efforts ongoing. Image // EHang

With the technical advantages of autonomous flight as well as capabilities for rapid response and cluster management, the EHang 216 and EHang 216L AAVs created emergency air transportation routes across the Pearl River in Guangzhou, completing multiple contactless relief and support tasks in the quarantine and containment zones. Tasks covered aerial logistics, emergency transportation, aerial inspections and broadcasting, transporting necessary daily household supplies to residents in the quarantine zones, and implementing urban air mobility (UAM) systems in emergency transportation scenarios.

EHang has been actively involved with epidemic relief and support for 11 days, and the designated flight operations team is reportedly maintaining its station near the quarantine and containment zones to continue with household and emergency supply air transport to reduce risks of front-line staff contacting the virus, and further support the coronavirus control and prevention mission in Guangdong Province with improved efficiency.

Watch a video of the EHang supporting relief efforts: https://www.ehang.com/video/show/392.html

Why it’s important: While Asia responded favorably to early onset of COVID-19, many regions recently experienced increased infection counts. EHang is effectively leveraging its capabilities for urgent medical passenger and cargo transportation with their fleet of aircraft, in a situation that closely reflects the current use cases of aerial mobility vehicles for limited passenger transport and more widely implemented cargo transport. EHang is currently using both their cargo transport aircraft and the 216 AAV for COVID relief efforts in Guangdong.