World’s first production certification for EHang
MP commercialization will accelerate
A $260 bn low-altitude economy is expected by 2026
EHang, a leading Chinese Urban Air Mobility (UAM) company, is on the verge of a groundbreaking leap into commercialization with the approval for mass production of its revolutionary drone taxi, marking a historic global milestone.
According to China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) announced on the 7th that it has issued a production certification for EHang’s self-driving two-seater drone, the EH216-S.
The EH216-S is an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft capable of piloting passengers without a human operator. EHang is the first in the world to receive a production certification for an eVTOL, signifying that the EH216-S will soon enter mass production, enabling the commercialization of drone taxis.
Previously, EHang secured a Type Certificate in October 2023, which certifies the safety and quality of aircraft products, followed by an Airworthiness Certificate in December 2023, which guarantees the reliability needed for safe flight. With the acquisition of the production certification, EHang now holds all three certifications necessary for commercialization.
Huazhi Hu, founder and chairman of EHang, said, “By obtaining production certification, we have opened the door to mass production,” and evaluated it as “an important milestone towards commercialization.”
EHang, which started as a commercial drone company in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, has now established itself as a leading UAM company in China. In particular, its flagship model, the EH216-S, has undergone low-altitude flight tests more than 9,300 times at 20 locations in 18 Chinese cities over the past two years, gaining recognition for its safety. Last month, the EH216-S model made headlines by fetching 2.39 million yuan (approximately $377,000) on Taobao, China’s leading online marketplace.
In tandem with EHang’s advancements, the Chinese government has vigorously advocated for the “low-altitude economy,” encompassing drone taxis, deliveries, and shuttle helicopters, as a future strategic industry. The low-altitude economy refers to industries such as passenger and cargo transportation facilitated by unmanned aircraft operating in low-altitude airspace, including drone taxis, drone deliveries, and UAM.
In its work report, the Chinese government included the low-altitude economy for the first time as a future emerging industry to be intensively fostered this year, along with bio-manufacturing, commercial aerospace, and quantum technology.
In particular, developing and deploying eVTOLs like EHang’s EH216-S emerge as key elements in propelling the low-altitude economy forward. The Guangzhou municipal government, where EHang is headquartered, is one of the most proactive local governments in fostering the low-altitude economy industry. Since the beginning of this year, the Guangzhou municipal government has been pushing to establish 10 commercial flight routes for logistics in the city and express flight routes for pharmaceutical deliveries. It is also accelerating the construction of low-altitude economy industry complexes.
According to the China Low-Altitude Economy Development Report (2024) released by the CYD under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China on the 1st, the scale of China’s low-altitude economy last year was 505.95 billion yuan, a 33.8% increase from the previous year. In particular, the research institute predicted that by 2026, the scale of China’s low-altitude economy will exceed 1 trillion yuan, reaching 1.6446 trillion yuan (approximately $260 billion).
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