EHang Holdings, a leading urban air mobility (UAM) technology platform company, has completed the demo flight for its pilotless passenger-carrying aerial vehicle, EH216-S, in downtown Shanghai.
The EH216-S is one of the fleets delivered to Shanghai Hynfar Aviation, demonstrating a significant development in China’s urban air transportation.
In collaboration with Hynfar Aviation and New Margin Eastwood Fund, EHang plans to use Longhua Airport as their base to develop various low-altitude economy electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) services, including passenger transportation and urban sightseeing.
The initiative aims to deploy various air taxi transportation models in more areas, including regions such as the Yangtze River Delta G60 Science and Innovation Corridor, which covers nine cities across Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui provinces.
Advancing China’s UAM Sector
EHang’s initiative aligns with the Action Plan for High-Quality Development of Shanghai Low-Altitude Economy Industry (2024-2027), which aims to position the city as a hub for innovation, commercial applications, and operational services in the low-altitude economy sector.
The plan forecasts the industry’s scale to exceed RMB50 billion by 2027, with goals to implement over 100 low-altitude flight service applications across various commercial scenarios, such as logistics, emergency rescue, cultural tourism, smart cities, and passenger transportation by the same year.
Furthermore, the project seeks to promote pilot projects for commercial passenger transport across and between major transportation hubs in Shanghai. EHang plans to establish routes connecting Hongqiao International Airpot, Pudong International Airport, and Longhua Airport and intends to develop five new intra-city stops within Shanghai.
Zhao Wang, EHang’s COO, highlighted, “As the world’s first pilotless passenger-carrying eVTOL that has obtained the Type Certificate, Production Certificate, and Standard Airworthiness Certificate from the CAAC, EH2016-S’s successful debut flight in Shanghai holds great demonstration value, signifying that large central cities in China are on the verge of entering the era of urban air taxi flight scenarios.”
Wang also emphasized that EHang’s pilotless passenger-carrying eVOTLs are poised to become key drivers in UAM transformation, driven by advancements in the low-altitude economy.