Chinese drone taxis are about to enter commercial operation

The production version of the EH216-S was granted a Flight Operations Certificate for passenger operations by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), New Atlas reported on April 1. This type of license certifies that the EH216-S passenger aircraft meets the technical, management and safety standards related to operations set by the CAAC.

This milestone signals the start of paid passenger services in China, meaning customers can buy tickets for travel, sightseeing and other flight services around Guangzhou and Hefei. However, the license limits the operation of the EH216-S to takeoff and landing at the same location, so flying back and forth between many different landing zones is currently not feasible.

"Hovering includes round-trip flights near predetermined takeoff and landing areas. Two licensed operators (EHang General Aviation in Guangzhou and HeYi Aviation in Hefei) will prepare to provide paid travel and experience flying services along the designed routes," EHang said.

The EH216-S model used for these activities has been in development for at least 6 years, and first took off in the US in 2020. This two-passenger flying taxi is equipped with 8 arms arranged around a carbon fiber composite body, each arm has two coaxial thrusters for a total of 16.

The drone will fly according to the available route, using 5G wireless connection to communicate with the command center. The vehicle has a maximum speed of 130 km/h, cruise speed of 100 km/h, and can reach an altitude of 3,000 m. The onboard battery pack provides a range of 35 km per charge or 21 minutes of flight time. Full charging takes 2 hours. The EH216-S can carry 220 kg of luggage. Passengers enter and exit the plane through doors that open upward.

Ehang is working with CAAC to expand flight distance and operating altitude. They are also looking to deploy drones to other parts of China and hope to be able to serve urban commuters.

An Khang (According to New Atlas)