First images of EHang’s long-range VT-30 eVTOL aircraft released
EHang has revealed images of its new VT-30 eVTOL aircraft and shared more details on the design.
Plans for a longer-range winged model was confirmed during EHang’s Q4 and Full Earnings Call last month and the VT-30 has been designed for inter-city transportation. It will travel up to 300km for more than 90 minutes, carrying two passengers at a time.
The aircraft will complement EHang’s other aircraft, the 216, which only has a range of 35km and is targeted for intra-city air mobility.
In a press release, the VT-30 has a streamlined fuselage with a combined lifting rudder surface at the tail. It is equipped with eight propellers on both sides, with a pair of fixed wings and a propelling propeller at the rear — to achieve a maximum balance of hybrid lift and push.
EHang has said the distinctive design enables the VT-30 to enjoy both vertical and taxi take-off / landing modes. Unlike conventional fixed-wing aircrafts, it saves the runway for take-off and landing and the tri-redundancy fly-by-wire control system can be flexibly altered into multiple modes — implying a much higher safety level for the aircraft.
Huazhi Hu, Founder, Chairman and CEO of EHang, said: “Our passenger-grade AAV EH216 is already fully equipped to travel in the cities with its lightweighted and streamlined structure, and the launch of the VT-30 provides a powerful complement to the inter-city air traffic network by meeting needs for covering longer distance.
“Moving forward, these two product series will be used as core development for a service-oriented operations strategy to improve the safety, durability and capacity for carrying both passengers and goods. We will work continuously to obtain regulatory certification for our various AAV products, including the VT-30, and provide a more convenient and efficient public urban air mobility operational services.”
The VT-30 is geared towards inter-city travels among city clusters, such as the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Yangtze River Delta and Bohai Rim.
The aircraft has already conducted vertical take-off and landing, power system and other tests. EHang has said it will continue to conduct various tests and optimisations under different environment conditions, while continuously improving autonomous air vehicle (AAV) safety and stability.
Its goal is to help accelerate long-distance AAVs to be used in various scenarios such as air commuting, aerial sightseeing, and aerial logistics.
