Imagine being stuck in a traffic jam on a Monday morning. Suddenly, an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) lands around you and takes you to your office miles away within minutes. It's not a fantasy but a nearby reality.
This April, Ehang, a Guangzhou-based company in urban air mobility (UAM), announced that its EH216-S has become the first recipient of a Type Certificate, Production Certificate, and Standard Airworthiness Certificate for pilotless eVTOL issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), which means ordinary people can soon take the eVTOL.
The eVTOL and various functional drones were pivotal for China's booming low-altitude economy. This was also highlighted at the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC last week, which stated that China would improve the policy and governance systems to promote the development of strategic industries such as next-generation information technology, artificial intelligence, aviation, and aerospace, new energy, new materials, high-end equipment, biomedicine, and quantum technology, and steer emerging industries towards the sound and orderly development.
According to the CAAC, China's low-altitude economy is estimated to be worth more than 500 billion yuan by 2023, with its scale expected to rise to 2 trillion yuan by 2030. In Guangdong, a powerhouse of China's economy, the scale of the low-altitude economy will exceed 300 billion yuan by 2026.
Li Ben, Executive Director of Guangzhou Walkera Technology Co.Ltd., a professional Aero-Model manufacturer for agriculture, fire protection, etc., believes that through the innovation of technologies and business models, including the expansion of operational scenarios, drones will use technology to empower various industries and solve some practical problems in daily work and life.
He Tianxing, Vice President of EHang, shares the same opinion, indicating that a "low-altitude economy involves a wide range of industrial chains and a multitude of application scenarios and will bring new experiences to everyone's work and life, consumption and economic growth points."
Expanding application scenarios to benefit ordinary people
As a new industry and a new growth driver that promotes the development of productive forces characterized by high technology, the low-altitude economy has now been driven to expand its scenarios and facilitate the lives of more ordinary people.
For EHang, potential application scenarios for intelligent unmanned eVTOLs include tourism, logistics, emergencies and, most importantly, urban air mobility. "This year, we plan to launch operational models of 'flying taxis' first in cities like Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hefei," said Wang Zhao, Co-Chief Operating Officer of EHang months ago when accepting an interview with GDToday.
He indicated that his company has worked with Guangzhou and Shenzhen to help the two cities become models for low-altitude economies and define application scenarios.
For Walkera, the application scenarios are even broader. According to Li, Walkera's drones can be used in agriculture, fire protection, land resource measurement, energy fields, etc.
"(Rescue drones) can solve many problems by targeting different scenarios. They can carry different tools to perform the tasks needed in place of humans," said Li. For example, the drone can search for the target person if a mountaineer goes missing while climbing. Equipped with infrared sensors, the drone can detect the person. After locating them, it can drop food, fresh water, or clothes.
Guangdong drone technologies go global
Thanks to policies that facilitate international cooperation in industrial and supply chains, technologies researched and developed in Guangdong have gone global with leading companies, bringing more benefits to the world.
According to He, EHang has completed more than 47,000 safe flights in 16 countries in the past decade. In European countries, the Middle East, and the Asia Pacific region, EHang has participated in local urban air traffic research projects, completed thousands of orders and pre-sales orders worldwide, and improved and constructed more infrastructure. "We aim to achieve the widespread application of urban air taxis."
Walkera has sold its products to more than 70 countries, including many BRI countries. Its drones have become a necessity in firefighting for Dubai's skyscrapers and in the fields of Eastern European countries. Recognized as one of the top 50 drone enterprises globally, Walkera's products have received high praise from international and domestic customers alike for both technology and functionality.
Reporter | Chua, Nan
Video | Deng Yingheng
Editor | Nan, Will, James
