China approves mass production of pilotless air taxis

Securing a production certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) is a huge deal for EHang because it indicates that the company has established a mass production quality management system that meets national airworthiness regulatory requirements. This includes everything from raw materials and supplier management to production organization, production quality control, aircraft pre-delivery test, after-sales repair, and maintenance services.

CAAC is extremely particular about maintaining clear documentation for every step in the production procedure because it guarantees traceability and safety control. It ensures that each aircraft and its components rolling off the production line strictly comply with the approved type design and safety requirements. And EHang has managed to satisfy CAAC officials both during a comprehensive document review of its air taxis and with the on-site verification and validation of quality, production, testing, and after-sales.

As Heyong Lin, director of the airworthiness division of the Central-South Regional Administration of the CAAC, explains, “In the past six months, EHang’s EH216-S has secured three groundbreaking achievements in airworthiness certification: the world’s first type certificate, production certificate, and standard airworthiness certificate for the passenger-carrying drone. EHang epitomizes a pioneering enterprise of a new business model… CAAC is dedicated to offering steadfast support to EHang, bolstering the high-quality development of the low-altitude economy.”

Huazhi Hu, the founder, chairman, and CEO of EHang, is quick to add that the production certificate is a crucial step for the company’s advancement toward commercial operations. Hu says, “Our vision is to introduce safe and reliable pilotless eVTOL aircraft to the global market, thereby offering safe, autonomous, and eco-friendly air mobility services to everyone. With the production certificate as the starting point, we are poised to gradually expand production and delivery to meet escalating market demands.”

EHang plans to sell each unit of its air taxi for around $332,000 in China.

Read more: Best drone video, photos from DJI SkyPixel annual contest