ehang reveals footage of its jumbo passenger drones in flight

chinese company ehang has been testing passenger drones for a while, the footage of which has been kept under wraps. yes, they created a buzz during the CES tech conference in las vegas in 2016 where it showed off a prototype of its passenger drone, the 184, but now among a backdrop of impressive airborne travel (particularly regarding elon musk’s tesla take off), the company has posted a video showing the ehang 184 in action through a series of manned tests.

video by ehang

the clip shows the ehang‘s efforts of building a completely autonomous vehicle to carry people and cargo through cities internationally in 2018, as closer to reality than ever before. according to the video released by guangzhou-based drone manufacturer, it has completed over 40 flying tests with its ehang 184 model, including several local government officials.

test flight of the ehang 184
images courtesy of ehang

the drone can carry a single person at up to 130 kilometers (80 miles) per hour and can withstand impressive weather conditions. according to ehang a no. 7 typhoon, strong winds (see more here) and heavy fog are not enough to stop the jumbo drone.

onboard a control center display allows a passenger to adjust floodlights and the cockpit’s temperature, and select a location on the map before setting the drone to fly

ehang is working with authorities in dubai to provide a self-flying taxi service, announced last year. that program has yet to set a launch date, and in the meantime, the chinese company is in the process of securing new partners.