By Heather Hamilton, contributing writer
China-based company Ehang recently released footage of test flights from a self-flying passenger aircraft. Called the Ehang 184 series, it is the first passenger drone that can carry a person at up to 130 km/h and force seven typhoon conditions. A press release indicates that they expect the Ehang 184 to be available for public use soon.
Ehang’s aircraft consists of carbon fiber and epoxy composite over an aluminum alloy frame and can cruise for 25 minutes at a time after a recharge that is said to take one hour. In a video from the company, viewers can see the 184 in action, hosting passengers that include deputy mayor of Guangzhou Wang Dong. The video shows the airplane in heavy wind and fog, flying at night, and at an altitude of 1,000 feet.
“Performing manned test flights enables us to demonstrate the safety and stability of our vehicles,” says CEO and founder Huazhi Hu. “What we’re doing isn’t an extreme sport, so the safety of each passenger always comes first. Now that we’ve successfully tested the Ehang 184, I’m really excited to see what the future holds for us in terms of air mobility.”
Since the company’s creation in 2014, they’ve conducted thousands of test flights and have reportedly been developing aerial vehicle technology for a while. While the Ehang 184 marks a significant development, the company will continue to improve the aircraft, adding optional manual control and additional seats.
In a video on CNN Money , Hu reports that it took a while for Ehang to be comfortable with live passengers on the aircrafts. He says that some of the 1,000 or so test flights turned violent, though no one was injured, thanks to the use of passenger dummies. Derrick Xiong, Ehang co-founder, and chief marketing officer continued, “We do tests basically every single day. I’m not going to say that there was no crash at all. But we do all the tests in a really, really careful way.”
New Atlas notes that Ehang has kept the drone a little close to the vest since revealing a prototype at CES in 2016 , probably because of efforts by Airbus, Intel, Boeing, and Bell Helicopter to develop similar machines. Ehang says that they’ve completed at least 40 successful journeys carrying passengers since 2015.
Right now, Ehang has entered into an agreement with the State of Nevada and Dubai’s transport authority to perform testing. “This is a step-by-step process,” says Hu. “And at Ehang, we have our own roadmap.” He’s first interested in transforming the industry. “When it comes to the development and application of any transformative technology, first the technological innovation makes an impact, then the relevant policies are created and developed. This goes on to push further development of the industry.”
Sources: PR Newswire, CNN Money, New Atlas
Image Source: Ehang
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