Chinese developer Ehang has revealed it is developing a longer range eVTOL for the regional market to complement its two passenger urban aircraft.
The battery-electric VT-30 AAV (autonomous aerial vehicle) will carry up to two passengers and have a range of 300km (185 miles).
The eVTOL has a streamlined fuselage with a combined lifting rudder surface at the tail and is equipped with eight propellers on both sides. It has a pair of fixed wings, and a propelling propeller at the rear, which are designed to achieve a maximum balance of hybrid lift and push.
The VT-30 is designed for inter-city transportation among city clusters such as the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Yangtze River Delta, Bohai Rim.
Engineers at eHang have already conducted vertical take-off and landings and power system tests with the VT-30 and are planning to conduct environmental testing next.
Huazhi Hu, founder, chairman and CEO of EHang said, “Our passenger-grade AAV EH216 is already fully equipped to travel in the cities with its lightweighted and streamlined structure, and the launch of the VT-30 provides a powerful complement to the inter-city air traffic network by meeting needs for covering longer distance.
“Moving forward, these two product series will be used as core development for a service-oriented operations strategy to improve the safety, durability and capacity for carrying both passengers and goods. We will work continuously to obtain regulatory certification for our various AAV products, including the VT-30, and provide a more convenient and efficient public urban air mobility operational services.”
Ehangs EH216 for intra-city urban air mobility (UAM) has 16 propellers in a coaxial double-baled design and can carry 2 passengers a maximum range of 8.8 km (5.5 miles). The EH216 is the successor to Ehang’s 184 eVTOL, which it demonstrated in 2018 as operational and carrying passengers.
