EHang plans to deploy flying vehicle (knowns as the Autonomous Aerial Vehicle(AAV) by official) around the city. EHang finally selected Guangzhou, China as its first location to operate the flight service after a period of comparison and screening, because the Guangzhou government said it would provide strong support for the company’s self-driving flying vehicle project.
Letting the car fly is the vision that people have been expecting for many years. This kind of scene often appears in film and television dramas and animations. At present, many organizations and enterprises have done relevant field test projects, the purpose is to verify the working principle and feasibility of such flying vehicles.
Facts have proved that with the continuous development of technology, the challenge of achieving a flying vehicle is not the technology itself, but the supporting infrastructure, such as air traffic control at the airport is a big problem. Airport staff believe that providing air guidance for these smaller, larger numbers of flying cars is a nightmare to test operational logic.
However, Ehang showed the results of its research projects to the world. This electric low-altitude vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft is not only suitable for modern urban environments, but also has a strong practicality, fully demonstrating the coordination performance of the flying car fleet. In 2018, Ehang performed an air taxi team in Vienna to show its strength to the world. Now, Ehang also plans to build a traffic management center to provide services for their flight fleets, while at the same time proving the reliability of their projects.
For such a flying car company, Guangzhou will provide a series of necessary infrastructure construction services to assist in the smooth progress of its projects. On one hand, Ehang will deploy an airport in Guangzhou for its aircraft to take off and land vertically. In addition, the company will also deploy a series of hardware facilities to test whether the air taxi can be safely used by the public.
Relevant personnel of the Guangzhou Municipal Government said that they are very confident about Ehang’s pilot project, which is of great significance to Guangzhou’s transportation system. As we all know, in most countries in the world, the traffic intensity of most cities in China is relatively high. This flying car project can override the congested roads and add a level of non-interventional transportation infrastructure. In the near future, perhaps the project can actually land, play its role in urban transportation, and provide more income for urban development.
