Air Taxi Company Selling 300 Pilotless Flying Vehicles; China Deal

Chinese air taxi maker EHang Holdings signed a deal to sell 300 of its pilotless flying vehicles to the Wencheng County Transportation Development Group Co. in China.

The development group agreed to purchase 30 of the EHang EH216-S and paid a 50% deposit as a pre-delivery downpayment.

The group also paid a non-refundable deposit to purchase an additional 270 of the electric aerial vehicles (EAV) before the end of 2026.

EHang also signed a cooperation agreement with the government of Wencheng County, Zhejiang Province, to jointly develop urban air mobility (UAM) and the supporting public service ecosystem.

“Wencheng County plans to set up multiple aerial sightseeing routes at Tianding Lake, the Baizhangji Falls, the canyon and the verdant forests, as well as establish regular operations of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft,” stated the EHang announcement.

The pilotless taxi from Ehhang recently took its maiden autonomous flight in Saudi Arabia.

The vehicle flew in Mecca in conjunction with Front End Limited Company, a Saudi company that serves various industries.

In Saudi Arabia, EHang is supported by Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation, the Ministry of Transport and Logistics Services, the Ministry of Hajj and the Ministry of Interior.

Related:Air Taxi Flies in Saudi Arabia; Pilotless Travel

EHang recently signed a deal to sell 50 of its flying vehicles to Xishan Tourism in a deal valued at $15 million.

Xishan Tourism signed a purchase agreement for an additional 450 EAVs over the next two years as it plans to use the flying vehicles for aerial tourism and passenger transportation.

Before the Saudi Arabia flight, EHang took its first passenger for a demonstration ride in Abu Dhabi.

The EAV took off from the Emirates Falcons Aviation Club with Mohamed Al Dhaheri, board member of Multi Level Group and EHang strategic partner, as the sole passenger.

The passenger flight followed demonstrations of the EAV conducted without passengers at the DriftX mobility expo in Abu Dhabi.

The EAV maker joined the Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industries Cluster in Abu Dhabi and formed a partnership with Wings Logistics Hub, a passenger eVTOL subsidiary of Technology Holding Company.

EHang also is collaborating with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) for EAV development in the UAE.

EAV battery charging times are expected to take fewer than 10 minutes to charge from 30% to 80%, according to EHang.

At the DriftX mobility event, EHang signed a deal with ADIO to drive eVTOL development in the UAE region.

EHang has received the Production Certificate (PC) for its EH216-S from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). 

Related:Flying Taxi Carries First Passenger; Pilotless Travel

The $410,000 EAV already had received a standard airworthiness certificate (AC) from the CACC, the first of its kind globally for an EAV and the company is authorized for mass production.

EHang recently conducted a demonstration flight of its pilotless flying vehicle in Latin America, flying the EAV at the Reserva Conchal Resort in Costa Rica.

The flight was held in front of national authorities and media to help promote advanced air mobility (AAM) in the region.

EHang also has flown a group of 12 EAVs together in China. In a video, the 12 flying vehicles took off together from an airfield in Hefei, China, on what appeared to be a snowy day.

The long-range goal of the flying vehicles industry is to have EAVs evolve from piloted vehicles, such as the coming air taxis, to aerial vehicles that fly automatically, with no crew onboard. 

While some EAV makers such as Wisk in the U.S. are planning to start this way in the future, it is not in the most recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) electric aerial vehicle planning documents.