In World's First, China's EHang Gets Approval For Fully Autonomous Passenger Air Taxis

China-based EHang said it has become the world's first air taxi company to obtain airworthiness certification to fly passenger-carrying autonomous electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. This means the company can now start commercial operations in China.

An eVTOL aircraft uses electrical power and can hover, take off and land vertically. It is also known to be quieter than helicopters and is expected to revolutionize cleaner, faster and more direct air mobility.

"EHang Holdings Limited, the world's leading urban air mobility (UAM) technology platform company, announced that the EH216-S, its self-developed passenger-carrying unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system, has obtained the type certificate (TC) officially issued by the Civil Aviation Administration (CAAC)," the Guangzhou-based company said in a press release.

The CAAC is a Chinese agency equivalent to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). It oversees and regulates civil aviation and also investigates aviation-related incidents.

EHang's EH216-S can carry two passengers and has been under the CAAC's watch since the company submitted a TC to the regulator in January 2021, EHang said.

"After more than 1,000 days and nights of persistent efforts, they (EH216-S team) overcame all kinds of difficulties and challengers to successfully complete all type certification objectives, proving that EHang is fully capable of independently designing, developing and manufacturing mature unmanned eVTOL products," the company said.

The EH216-S reportedly had undergone "extensive" laboratory, ground and flight tests across multiple aviation test sites in the country. It was tested for structural strength, flight stability, gas toxicity, crashworthiness and overall system functionality among others.

The company got the approval last Friday at the CAMIC International Convention Center in Beijing.

EHang CEO Huazhi Hu told CNBC in an interview that the company was looking to expand outside China "next year." He wants regulators outside the country to establish a process of mutual regulation in the unmanned aircraft industry that aligns with Chinese airworthiness certification.

News of EHang's certification came a few months after Chinese regulators released new rules for unmanned aircraft flight. They are set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2024.

China's Interim Regulation on Unmanned Aircraft Flight Management says companies in the sector should make sure their products comply with relevant quality laws and national aviation standards. They should submit an application with the CAAC "to obtain an airworthiness license in accordance with the law."

Chinese flying car makers have been hoping to start commercial operations by 2025 or 2026. Guo Liang, CEO of Chinese air taxi developer Aerofugia, said in May that he expects the "revolution" of flying cars to "surpass the electrification of cars."

EHang and Aerofugia aren't the only companies looking to capitalize on commercial aerial taxis. Alibaba-backed Xpeng unveiled its Kiwigogo vehicle at the 2020 Beijing Auto Show. The flying vehicle was still under development at the time.

The FAA also plans to allow autonomous flying vehicles in the future as the race toward unmanned aerial vehicles ensues. It released an implementation plan in July, which still requires pilots to be onboard autonomous aircraft.