EHang Holdings completes unmanned demo flight tour in Japan

EHang Holdings Limited, the world's leading autonomous aerial vehicle technology platform company, has completed a demo flight tour in July for its EH216 AAV across four cities in Japan, after its demo flights in Okayama and Fukushima cities last year.

The unmanned vehicle made its appearance on the ceremonial day on July 18, which marked the 1,000-day countdown to the opening of the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai.

The demo flights in Japan included over-the-sea flights and point-to-point flights, both believed to be the firsts for an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicle in Japan.

The Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai looks to introduce the innovative eVTOL technology to the public and has plans to use eVTOL vehicles for visitor transportation at the Expo, according to the company sources.

"We will continue to develop situations for flying vehicles in logistics, tourism, emergency transportation and disaster response, and will continue to take on the challenges of airborne business, including takeoff and landing sites, in cooperation with the public and private sectors," said Hiroshi Kirino, chairman of Okayama Kurashiki Mizushima Aero & Space Industry Cluster Study Group, a Japanese partner of EHang.

With EHang's first mover advantages and leading expertise in AAV technologies, the company is expected to provide its EH216 flights for the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, and implement its safe, autonomous and eco-friendly UAM solutions in Japan in the near future, according to Hu Huazhi, chairman and CEO of EHang.

"We are very pleased to complete the EH216 demo flight tour in four Japanese cities, which has set our footprint in up to six cities across Japan, and laid a solid foundation for our continuous expansion in the Japanese market," he said.

qiuquanlin@chinadaily.com.cn