London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 19, 2025

Chinese flying taxi maker Ehang gets approval to test drone deliveries for cargo weighing over 150kg

Chinese flying taxi maker Ehang gets approval to test drone deliveries for cargo weighing over 150kg

Ehang is the world’s first autonomous aerial vehicle company approved to conduct commercial trials of passenger drones for transporting heavy cargo, it says. The pilotless 216 flying car can hold two passengers and travel at up to 130km per hour

Guangzhou-based Ehang, known for its ambitions to make flying taxis a reality, has obtained what it says is the world’s first commercial licence to test using passenger-grade drones to transport heavy goods of more than 150kg.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has approved tests of Ehang’s 216 flying car for air logistics, making it the world’s first autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV) company a national aviation authority has approved for commercial trials of drone deliveries involving loads of more than 150kg, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.

The battery-operated Ehang 216 was unveiled in April last year in Vienna, Austria as the company’s latest flying taxi model. The pilotless drone, which can hold two passengers, can cover a distance of about 30km at speeds of up to 130km per hour, according to the company.



With the CAAC’s approval, the company will conduct tests using the passenger drone to transport cargo between ground level and the top of a hill and between the shore and islands at a customer site in Taizhou, a city in the eastern Zhejiang province in China. Ehang intends to gradually expand the trials to other sites in China as it accumulates operational data and experience, it added in the statement.

Drones, usually small, autonomous robots that can be controlled either remotely or by following an internal flight path of their own, have become more mainstream and taken on more applications including in the area of logistics in recent years.

E-commerce giants such as Amazon and JD.com have been experimenting with drone deliveries for some time, but such robot deliveries have become particularly relevant during the coronavirus pandemic amid efforts to prevent the spread of the deadly virus through human-to-human contact.

In China, JD.com and delivery app Meituan Dianping are among the companies that have deployed autonomous vehicles including drones for deliveries during the pandemic, while in the US, Google’s Wing drone delivery system has been used to deliver toilet paper and medicine to residents locked down in the state of Virginia.

However, these autonomous delivery drones are smaller than Ehang’s 216 model and do not have the ability to carry passengers or carry the heavy loads the Chinese company will be testing.

Ehang founder, chairman and CEO Hu Huazhi said CAAC’s approval was of “great significance” as it will accelerate the commercialisation of AAV technology and air mobility solutions for logistics.

“It also lays a foundation for regulators around the world to jointly explore and establish a coordinated, supportive and sustainable regulatory environment,” Hu said in the statement, adding that this will “benefit the long-term development of the promising urban air mobility applications”.

The global market size for urban aviation – also known as eVTOL air taxis or personal air vehicles – could reach nearly US$1.5 trillion by 2040 with China accounting for nearly 30 per cent of the global market share, according to a 2018 report from Morgan Stanley.

Passenger drones “can be a safe and efficient solution to transport cargo”, CAAC deputy administrator Li Jian said, commenting on the civil aviation authority’s decision to grant Ehang the licence.

Founded in 2014, Ehang describes itself as the world's first maker of passenger-grade, electric autonomous aerial vehicles. Earlier this month, the company partnered with Shenzhen-listed tourism platform company LN Holdings to create the world’s first passenger drone-themed hotel, which it said will give guests the opportunity to travel on Ehang’s flying taxis. The company went public in the US last December.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
×