Autonomous flying taxis could be a feature in the skies by next year in China.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China has approved the first permit for mass production of eVTOL autonomous flying taxis.
It is an industry first, which was awarded to manufacturer EHang.
EHang’s EH216-S pilotless electric flying vehicle can be mass-produced commercially.
“Our vision is to introduce safe and reliable pilotless eVTOL aircraft to the global market, thereby offering safe, autonomous and eco-friendly air mobility services,” said Huazhi Hu, CEO of EHang.
The EHang EH216-S is a fully-electric two-seater VTOL aircraft with a cruising speed of 62mph.
EHang says it has been extensively tested with and without pilots.
The company is marketing it for air taxi shuttle services, tourism and commuter transportation.
The CAAC last year issued the Green Aviation Manufacturing Development Outline (2023-2035) a guidance report detailing measures for large scale operations for autonomous aerial services starting by 2025
A similar Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Implementation Plan in the US has targeted a start date of 2028 for eVTOL commercial operations.
