• 29 Jun 2021 02:49 PM
• 0

EHang Flies in Japan; Fights COVID in China

Japan’s “Public-Private Council for the Air Mobility Revolution” — established in 2018 by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) — has set the target of 2023 for eVTOL operations in Japan. In early June, Guangzhou, China-based EHang conducted its first flights in Japan. The company obtained a trial flight permit for its EHang 216 from MLIT, with support from the Okayama Kurashiki Mizushima Aero & Space Industry Cluster Study Group (MASC). EHang said its 216 was the first passenger-grade eVTOL granted permission for outdoor open airspace trial flights in Japan.

Meanwhile, EHang announced on June 14 that it had again stepped up to help fight the recent coronavirus resurgence in China’s Guangdong Province. Starting on June 4, EHang successively deployed the passenger-grade AAV EHang 216 and unmanned EHang 216L (logistics model) — as well as the EHang Falcon B series and Falcon B (logistics) drones — for epidemic prevention and control efforts, successfully completing multiple "contactless" relief and support tasks in the quarantine and containment zones. Tasks covered aerial logistics, emergency transportation, aerial inspections and broadcasting, transporting necessary daily household supplies to residents in the quarantine zones, and implementing UAM systems in emergency transportation scenarios.