Quadcopter Taxi

More than 1,000 test aircraft with passenger aircraft were tested, among them a 300 metre tall ascent, a 230 kilogram test, a 15 kilometre test aircraft and a 80 kilogram high-speed cruise test. Obviously, after his first statement, Ehang seems to have listened to our scepticism and tried to react with supportive feedback.

Mr Ehang wants to use his egg-shaped, multi-circular planes as aerial taxis and transport travellers through narrow municipal areas. With the German Volocopter Dubai is also working on a similar Airtaxi-Servic. Ehang has Nevada's permit to test the Ehang 184 at its FAA-approved UAV test site if this does not work.

As Ehang says, the 184, which is all electrical, can transport a lone traveller up to 10 mph or about 23 min flying time. They claim that their planes are able to take off independently, take a course, detect obstructions and touch down. If something goes awry, a humanitarian air force should intervene and take over control from a distant control center.

For Ehang, luxurious travel for wealthy people is the first stage of this new era, in which stand-alone planes are increasingly being offered at lower fares after fleet and route establishment and, of course, once the costs of a presence of a human driver have been removed. In spite of its early successes in test flying, Ehang says it is making enhancements to the airplane.

Greater weight will be attached to enhancing the user experience and the addition of an optional hand held controls, allowing pilots to handle the car by hand. which is no easy task. However, demonstrating that it can evolve into a fully-fledged air taxi destination is a very different set of challenges currently facing a number of huge, multi-billion Euro corporations.

There' s a golden frenzy of flying takeoff and landings right now, and Ehang clearly wants to make a name for himself as the main actor.