A Chinese drone company appears to be on the cusp of offering individuals their own “autonomous air taxi.”
Details of drone maker EHang’s “184” vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) aircraft first wowed attendees at 2016’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. New test footage uploaded to YouTube this week shows the single-passenger aircraft successfully undergoing unmanned flight tests.
“The company says it is on its third generation of propeller, electric motor, electronic speed controller and battery for the EHang 184, which has eight sets of motors and props mounted in upper/lower pairs at the ends of four arms,” Aviation Week reported Tuesday.
EHang’s promotional video for the taxi drone also includes a brief look at a commander center, which will dispatch the GPS-guided aircraft and communicate with passengers during flight.
Cost estimates for the “184,” which can cover over 20 miles per trip on a payload of 264 pounds, will set back its initial customers $200,000, Popular Science reported Tuesday.
The Magazine added that EHang now must work on “safety concerns regarding how the aircraft would respond to an emergency situation,” since it has no onboard piloting controls.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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