World's first production certificate for eVTOL obtained by EHang
Nasdaq-listed EHang Holding Ltd, an urban air mobility (UAM) technology firm, has been granted the world's first production certificate in the global eVTOL industry.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China issued the Production Certificate (PC) for Ehang's EH216-S passenger-carrying pilotless electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) on Sunday, the first production license in the global eVTOL industry.
So far, EH216-S has obtained a Type Certificate, Standard Airworthiness Certificate, and Production Certificate, the only aircraft in the world with all three certificates.
The aircraft will also move from the design and development stage to the mass production stage, which lays the foundation for full-scale commercialization.
Founded in 2014, Guangzhou EHang Intelligent Technology Co Ltd is an urban air transportation platform operator focusing on intelligent autopilot vehicles, which was successfully listed in December 2019 in the US, becoming the No. 1 stock in the global urban air transportation industry.
"The production license is an important milestone for the EH216-S to step into the scale production stage which could make commercial operation soon possible," said Hu Huazhi, founder and CEO of EHang.
Recently, the concept of the low-altitude economy has become widely known. "Air vehicle" is no longer a new idea to the public.
In March, the EH216-S was on Taobao and exhibited in the "live room," priced at 2 million yuan (US$276,120).
The EHang EH216-S bought by a buyer from Guangdong for 1.99 million yuan on March 20.
Since the fourth quarter of last year, the company has reached strategic cooperation with several local governments, such as Bao'an District and Luohu District in Shenzhen, Huangpu District in Guangzhou, Hefei City, Wuxi City, as well as the United Arab Emirates, according to EHang.
Through the cooperation, the company has received hundreds of EH216-S pre-orders, with eVTOL operation points constructed in many places.
Meanwhile, whether the "air vehicle" can be safe and whether it can be operated regularly is among the common concerns in the pubic.
"Just like when Boeing and Airbus airplanes launched their first ticket sales over a hundred years ago, the first passenger may be excited while at the same time, scared. It's the same for eVTOL," said Hu.
He believes that the current concerns of the public will disappear as eVTOL gradually accumulates a safe flight record.
Hu revealed that eVTOL will take Hefei, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Zhuhai as model cities for the low-altitude economy, leading in launching the air cab model.
"The current stage is to get the preparations done – including infrastructure, personnel training, the delivery, and management of the aircraft," Hu said.
Several provinces in China have begun to deploy the introduction of unmanned aerial vehicles, the construction of landing pads, the opening of air routes, and the development of low-altitude economic demonstration scenarios.
EHang is also collaborating with the CAAC to formulate standards for the commercial operation of pilotless aerial vehicles, which are expected to be introduced in the second quarter of this year.
EHang's EH216-S and VT-30 were exhibited at BEYOND Expo 2023, the global leading annual tech expo in Asia.
