02 January 2019 || 3 min read
Ghuangzhou, China based EHANG released a video of some of their most notable passengers during flight demonstrations of the EHANG 184 air taxi during 2018. Notable persons include FACC executives, VC Fund Managers, the Mayor of Ghuangzhou, and others.
The release of this video comes after the company announced on November that it will be developing an all-electric medium to long range aircraft that is capable of autonomous electric flight (the EH 580) and an all-electric cargo drone (the FlyShark 200) at the Zhuhai airshow.
Other notable achievements of one of the leading Chinese eVTOL manufacturers include the completion of demonstration flights in other test locales, not just Ghuangzhou – Amsterdam, Doha, and Mattersburg, Austria were among the other cities that hosted demonstration flights.
While the EHANG 184 Autonomous Air Vehicle (AAV) is not yet in a commercially operational state, EHANG is well versed in addressing some of the other challenges that involve low-altitude airspace and flight operations, such as navigating complex airspace in crowded, urban environments. The company has extensive experience with drone operations, and has agreements in place for drone delivery services in Ghuangzhou, China in partnership with Yonghui Group, a retailer. The company regularly performs “drone light shows” of which 78 were completed last year in 42 different cities.
Why it’s important: EHANG’s 2018 recap was not transformative, but rather contained validations of the progress of the company that many were following closely throughout 2018. Of note, however, is the very conscious effort the company is making to demonstrate that their AAV is safe, requires no special skills to operate, and is exciting to fly. The numerous public demonstration flights that are detailed in their recap video attest to the level of approval that many of the executives, press, and EHANG employees have when flying in the AAV. Keep a watch on EHANG in 2019 as they progress through the certification of the AAV with the Civil Aviation Authority of China (CAAC).
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