EHang AAV, electric, personal Autonomous Aerial Vehicle (AAV), EHang, Inc., Guangzhou, China

Without doubt, the coolest thing at CES 2016. Not sure we're ready to take a ride in one yet though!

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The EHang 184 is an autonomous aerial vehicle designed to fly automatically to its destination, meaning no pilot's license is required to fly it

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EHang, a Chinese unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) company, unveiled at 2016 CES the EHang 184, the world's first electric, personal Autonomous Aerial Vehicle (AAV) that will achieve humanity's long-standing dream of easy, everyday flight for short-to-medium distances.

The EHang 184, which was named for 'one' passenger, 'eight' propellers, and 'four' arms, is the next wave of innovation from EHang. Having already released a successful consumer product with their Ghost Drone line, EHang is now creating another disruptive and innovative technology to propel us towards the future of solo human transport.

The 184 uses multiple independent flight control systems to automatically navigate passengers from point A to point B. These systems combine real-time data collected from sensors throughout the flight and automatically plot the fastest and safest route to carry passengers to their destinations.

The EHang 184 AAV takes off and lands vertically, subsequently eliminating the need for runways. Its foldable design solves the logistical and spatial issues that have constrained airplanes and other modes of air-travel from expanding into daily use. Mass-adoption of the 184 has the potential to streamline congested traffic and dramatically reduce the kinds of accidents associated with any human-operated vehicle.
It is 100 percent electric and doesn't depend on fossil fuels.

Standing 1.5 meters tall and weighing 200 kilograms (440 pounds), the EHang 184 AAV has a load capacity of 100 kilograms (220 pounds), with the maximum output of 106W powered by eight motors. It's designed to have the capability to carry a single passenger for 23 minutes' duration flight at sea level at average cruising speed of 100 km/h.

Inside the cabin is placed a single seat, with a design similar to an F1 racing car seat. In front of the seat is a tablet console, through which passengers can easily input commands. Additionally, the cabin's built-in air conditioner automatically adjusts the in-cabin temperature. Complete with 4G Wi-Fi Internet, EHang 184 provides passengers with comfortable and enjoyable riding experiences.

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A Chinese company unveiled the world's first passenger-carrying drone at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

The Ehang-184, a car-sized aircraft that weighs 220 kilograms, is powered by electricity and capable of carrying a 120-kg person for 23 minutes, according to its maker.

"It is different from previous models of fixed-wing aircraft or single-rotor helicopters, as it is equipped with four arms and eight propellers, making it a multi-rotor aerial vehicle capable of carrying passengers," said Xiong Yifang, co-founder of the Guangzhou-based drone manufacturer Ehang.

"A second special feature is its automatic piloting, so there is no need for our passengers to get a pilot's license," Xiong added.

A passenger selects their flight destination on an onboard tablet inside the pod-like cockpit and then relaxes in the air-conditioned cabin as the vehicle takes off, flies, and lands on its own.

"Hopefully in 2016, we will be able to have some commercial test flights, for instance, flying a short trip from one islet to another, or a fixed route in areas with poor transportation. We are looking forward to its full commercialization in the near future," Mr Xiong said.

The Ehang 184 has a span of 5.5 meters when fully unfolded, and its maximum flying altitude is 3,500 meters.

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Fitz Tepper gets a look at a drone from eHang that can fit an actual person in it on the show floor at CES 2016.

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What is air taxi?

As crowds are pouring into the city, life speeds up, traffic gets denser, and urbanization is close to collapse. We can see more and more roads, tunnels, bridges, still don't solve the problem.

The electrical, vertical takeoff and landing (eVTL), autopilot air taxi could be the best solution.

That's why varies magnates start to invest in this industry, to be exact, it is Urban Air Mobility industry, which is an emerging aspect of air transportation for human and goods in the near future. A new Blue Paper from Morgan Stanley Research projected a total addressable market of $1.5 trillion for autonomous aircraft by 2040.

EHang AAV (Autonomous Aerial Vehicle) made a big step for the whole Urban Air Mobility industry by carrying up to 17 people in Vienna, April 4th, 2019.

At CES 2016, EHang officially launched the world’s very first electric AAV for low-airspace short-distance air transportation. With the core concepts of autopilot, full redundancy safety design and cluster management by intelligent command and control center, pilots are no longer necessary for a flight, while passengers only need to click the “take-off” button to fly to the selected destination. EHang will provide every passenger a truly enjoyable journey by the safe and intelligent autopilot system.

In February, 2018, EHang has unveiled footage of the latest test flights of EHang AAV in Guangzhou, China. Since then, EHang AAV conducted an array of flight demonstrations in Amsterdam, Doha, Vienna.

EHang is a world's leading autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV) technology platform company based in Guangzhou, China.

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EHang is a world’s leading autonomous aerial vehicle (“AAV”) technology platform company. Our mission is to make safe, autonomous and eco-friendly air mobility accessible to everyone. EHang provides customers in various industries with AAV products and commercial solutions, including passenger transportation, logistics, smart city management and aerial media solutions. As the forerunner of cutting-edge AAV technologies and commercial solutions in the global Urban Air Mobility industry, EHang continues to explore the boundaries of the sky to make flying technologies benefit our life in smart cities.

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On November 30, two passenger-grade AAVs of the two-seater EHang 216 model performed simultaneous flight demos, vertically taking off from and landing at Heli Tiande Centre in Guangzhou on the Centre’s opening day.

“Today’s demo flights mark another key step forward in Guangzhou’s journey to making urban air mobility a reality and lead global efforts in such commercial operations.”
- Hu Huazhi, EHang’s CEO

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“Roads? Where we're going we don't need roads”. This is not a time travel to the future, this is the future of mobility. On Jan. 7th, #EHang completed a landmark flight which made North Carolina take off again after 116 years. #EHang AAV is more than just a new “Wright Flyer”, it’s the first #eVTOL that received flight approval from #FAA. More simple than a plane but faster and greener than a car, won’t you have a try?

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The future of mobility arrived ! This is what EHang has been exploring so far: broad vision for on-demand urban air mobility systems. Come on and check out more here.

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