the number of safe test flights has exceeded 50,000. citizens may be able to enjoy "flying taxis" this year.
2024-09-18
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the world's first unmanned aircraft operation certificate is expected to be issued this year
planning/lin jie, huang lina, hou shuwang
text/li qiuling, omnimedia reporter of yangcheng evening news photo/he yu, omnimedia reporter of yangcheng evening news
after breakfast, he took out his mobile phone and made a reservation with one click. an aircraft arrived, opened the door and got seated. this pilotless, runway-free, vertical take-off and landing aircraft then set off with the passengers and arrived at the workplace at an extremely fast speed... this commercial application scenario of "taking a flight" to work is gradually approaching the citizens of guangzhou.
"it is expected that the world's first unmanned manned aircraft operating certificate will be issued this year, and the 'air taxi' service is expected to be launched before the end of the year." he tianxing, vice president of ehang intelligent equipment (guangzhou) co., ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "ehang intelligent"), told the yangcheng evening news all-media reporter that the eh216-s unmanned manned aircraft produced by the company has completed its commercial maiden flight demonstration in guangzhou, laying a solid foundation for guangzhou to carry out commercial manned flight operations.
as a pioneer in the low-altitude economy industry, what explorations has ehang made in the research and development of unmanned manned aircraft and the commercial application of low-altitude economy? the reporter went deep into the company to interview and learn more.
expectation: air taxi service may be launched before the end of the year
is it feasible to use unmanned manned aircraft as a regular means of public transportation? what stage has the commercial operation service entered?
"after obtaining the operating certificate, we will accelerate the expansion of our commercial operations." he tianxing told reporters that in the future, with the construction of a large number of operating points, ehang intelligent will create a new three-dimensional urban air transportation network to provide the public with regular low-altitude transportation, allowing the "30-kilometer air living circle" to fly into ordinary people's homes.
the reporter learned that the civil aviation administration of china has officially accepted the operating certificate applications submitted by ehang general aviation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ehang intelligent that specializes in urban air traffic operation services, and hefei heyi aviation, a joint venture operating company in hefei.
during the second quarter earnings call, ehang intelligent's senior management revealed that the civil aviation administration of china's review team has completed the document review and will conduct an on-site review in hefei. it is expected that the world's first unmanned manned aircraft operating certificate will be issued this year, and it is believed that the company will soon officially launch the commercial operation of the eh216-s.
"as the low-altitude economy moves towards a trillion-dollar market value, riding an aircraft will be as convenient as taking the subway or a taxi." he tianxing said that people can make reservations and take "air taxis" with just one click, easily achieving daily commuting within or between cities.
citizens are also concerned about the price of "air taxis". will it be as affordable as taking a taxi?
in response, he tianxing said that in the future, when the low-altitude economy reaches a trillion-dollar market value, there will definitely not be only one or two "air taxis", but there may be tens of thousands of different types of unmanned aerial vehicles providing services for everyone. "once the volume breaks through, the operating costs will naturally decrease." in he tianxing's view, it will not be difficult to "take a flying taxi" at a cost-effective price.
results: completed more than 50,000 safe test flights
there are many types of aircraft for "air commuting", each with its own characteristics. in the exhibition hall on the 11th floor of ehang intelligent guangzhou headquarters, the reporter saw the eh216-s unmanned manned aircraft, which is light and cute in appearance compared with common helicopters and large aircraft.
there are 8 shafts and 16 propellers on the black and white fuselage. there is no cockpit in the cabin, but there are two passenger seats. it does not need a runway and can take off and land vertically. when the reporter entered the cabin for a test ride, he found that the cabin was quite spacious. even a big man who is 1.8 meters tall and weighs 180 kilograms can sit down easily and stretch his legs. after sitting down and fastening the seat belt, the feeling is similar to riding in an ordinary bus.
he tianxing told reporters that this type of aircraft has strong maneuverability, occupies a small area of land, does not require a runway, is easy to take off and land, and has low noise, making it a good carrier for short-distance travel services at low altitudes.
it is reported that the eh216-s has completed more than 50,000 safe test flights, including manned test flights, in 16 countries around the world. it can be used in scenarios such as manned transportation, aerial sightseeing, aerial logistics, and medical emergency response.
in addition, the eh216-s unmanned manned aircraft has previously obtained the three "passes" issued by the civil aviation administration of china: type certificate, production license, and standard airworthiness certificate.
price: domestic price: rmb 2.39 million
unmanned aerial vehicles are still a new thing, and the price of this product is also a topic of concern.
reporters learned that the eh216-s has begun mass production, with the annual output of the yunfu production base in guangdong reaching 600 aircraft.
as for the price, he tianxing said: "the current domestic price is 2.39 million yuan per aircraft, and the overseas price is 410,000 us dollars."
"ehang intelligent has delivered hundreds of such aircraft to its partners. since the fourth quarter of last year, the cumulative batch orders we have received in the domestic market have exceeded 1,100, and are continuing to grow," said he tianxing.
for example, in august, ehang intelligent delivered 5 eh216-s to nan'an transportation group; in july, ehang intelligent delivered the first batch of 10 eh216-s to taiyuan xishan cultural tourism, which was part of the customer's full payment purchase order of 50 aircraft. in the next two years, xishan cultural tourism will purchase another 450 aircraft...
what are customers currently using such aircraft for?
according to reports, most customers currently use unmanned manned aircraft for low-altitude sightseeing in scenic spots, which is also one of the commercial uses. for example, xishan tourism is continuously promoting the regular flight of eh216-s, and plans to build a series of trend-setting "low-altitude + tourism" demonstration projects based on landmark attractions such as yuquan mountain, rice field park, and juwei mountain, to help shanxi province build a low-altitude economic demonstration zone.
currently, ehang intelligent is working with local governments and customers to carry out model construction of low-altitude economic application scenarios in guangzhou, hefei, shenzhen, zhuhai, taiyuan and other places, preparing for the next step of low-altitude economic commercial operations.
"new" interview
standard system from "0" to "1"
yangcheng evening news: from research and development to commercial use, what processes do unmanned manned aircraft have to go through?
he tianxing: all manned aircraft need to complete the "three certificates" review, which is the civil aviation industry's requirement for safety standards. the "three certificates" include the type certificate, which means that the design of the aircraft meets the airworthiness standards and can meet the safety standards for manned flight; the production license reflects the manufacturer's ability to produce safe manned aircraft in accordance with the approved design requirements; the standard airworthiness certificate is issued for each aircraft, proving that the aircraft meets the type design and is in a safe and usable state. as a new type of aircraft, ehang intelligent's evtol (electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft) has obtained the "three certificates" to demonstrate the safety of this technology and product in manned operation and the feasibility of commercial operation.
yangcheng evening news: what are the more difficult points in the process of promoting the application scenarios and commercial operations of unmanned manned aerial vehicles?
he tianxing: the formulation of standards is the most difficult part. civil aviation large aircraft or helicopters currently have relatively fixed operating standards, but the eh216-s evtol product is a brand-new aviation product. its technical architecture, product configuration, and performance functions are very different from those of traditional aircraft. in addition, there is a blank standard for the operation of this type of aircraft worldwide. there is no complete reference basis and standard. it is necessary to establish a complete, feasible, scientific and rigorous system. the most difficult part is to formulate this set of standards and achieve a breakthrough from "0" to "1".
yangcheng evening news: in addition to unmanned manned aircraft, what other aircraft are there for different scenarios?
he tianxing: take ehang intelligent as an example, there are also vt-30 long-range unmanned manned aircraft, eh216-f firefighting aircraft and eh216-l logistics aircraft, which will provide more applications for production, life and consumption in the low-altitude economy in the future. low altitude can be used as a traction to promote the transformation of the entire industry, while also promoting large-scale transformation and upgrading of cities, which will drive the development of more related upstream and downstream industrial chains.
yangcheng evening news: in order to welcome low-altitude travel services, what other preparations need to be made besides providing safe, reliable and convenient flight vehicles?
he tianxing: we also need to build public supporting infrastructure such as landing pads, hangars, and charging stations. the low-altitude economy is an economic form of "sky net + ground network", and ground-related supporting facilities are also an important link.
at present, some important cities in china have started relevant planning, including guangzhou, shenzhen, hefei, wuxi and other places, and some overseas countries are also actively carrying out supporting construction around the scene layout. the development of evtol aircraft will not only bring a revolution in transportation, but also a revolution in urban construction and development.
numbers
guangdong's low-altitude economy: 300 billion yuan by 2026
at present, guangdong has written relevant content about the low-altitude economy into the government work report, issued and implemented the "guangdong province action plan to promote the high-quality development of the low-altitude economy (2024-2026)", and proposed that by 2026, the scale of guangdong's low-altitude economy will exceed 300 billion yuan. guangzhou, shenzhen, zhuhai, huizhou and other cities have also issued policies at the municipal level to support the development of the low-altitude economy.
