EHang, a Chinese company developing a passenger-carrying drone, plans to conduct flight tests in Nevada in hopes of certifying its 184 Autonomous Aerial Vehicle. EHang, which has set up branch offices in Asia, Europe and the U.S., won the attention of Nevada officials in January with its test drone at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The new agreement with Nevada’s Institute for Autonomous Systems and the state’s economic development arm will allow the company to conduct testing, training and research in the state, which is an FAA-designated UAS Test Site. EHang’s founder and CEO, Huazhi Hu, said on the company’s website the collaboration in developing his vehicle “will lay the foundation for its commercialization and building up the aerial transportation ecosystem in the future.”
The battery-powered drone, which has undergone some flight testing in China, is designed to carry one person on a typical city commute, controlled by a remote online system. “I personally look forward to the day when drone taxis are part of Nevada’s transportation system,” state aerospace and defense industry specialistTom Wilczeksaid in the company’s announcement. “EHang’s selection of Nevada to test its people-carrying drone marks a thrilling addition to the innovative companies testing throughout our state to advance the commercial drone industry.” Preparations for EHang are underway with testing to begin some time this year. EHang, founded in 2014, has already seen international success in the consumer-use market with its series of Ghostdrone quadcopters.
