BEIJING – An EHang eVTOL (Vertical Takeoff And Landing) aircraft, the EH216-S, has just been approved for commercial flights by the Civil Aviation Administration of China.
“This demonstrates that the EH216-S’s model design fully complies with CAAC’s safety standards and airworthiness requirements, and that the EH216-S is qualified for conducting passenger-carrying UAV commercial operations,” the company wrote in a press release.
“Since CAAC formally accepted EHang’s EH216-S TC application in January 2021, the EHang team worked closely with CAAC and its expert team towards validating and verifying the aircraft’s innovative cutting-edge technologies. After more than 1,000 days and nights of persistent efforts, they overcame all kinds of difficulties and challenges to successfully complete all type certification objectives, proving that EHang is fully capable of independently designing, developing, and manufacturing mature unmanned eVTOL products.”
This is the first such approval anywhere in the world.
Here are some other key facts and figures regarding the EH216-S:
- Can carry two passengers 20 miles
- 60 mph cruising speed
- 81 mph full-tilt speed
- 17 kWh battery
- 16 propellers powered by 16 different electric motors.
Notably, earlier this year, in February, the EH216 completed its first autonomous, passenger-carrying flight demonstration in Japan. Stay tuned to find out when it is also approved for commercial flights in Japan!
