China could soon become the first country in the world with flying taxis as part of Beijing’s plan to develop what it calls the “low-altitude economy”.
For years, tech companies have been striving to get a commercial electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) service off the ground.
Able to fly over congested cities, eVTOLs are like a cross between electric cars and drones, and can be powered by renewable energy.
They don’t need runways and are quieter than traditional helicopters, so are better able to operate in urban areas.
Several manufacturers around the world believe the technology is ready for short-hop flying taxi services — but they need to convince the world’s regulators that they’re safe.
Beijing reckons there are big opportunities in the airspace about 1,000m and below.
At December’s central economic work conference, which sets China’s national economic agenda, the so called “low-altitude economy” was designated a “strategic emerging industry”.
Aside from flying taxis, the sector includes businesses using both drones or crewed aircraft to do things like package delivery, drone light shows and rapid-response emergency services.
In China’s tech capital Shenzhen, food deliveries by drone and helicopter taxi services are already a reality.
The sector was worth 500 billion yuan ($104 billion) to China’s economy last year, and that’s expected to increase to as much as 2 trillion yuan by 2030.
The national government is providing both financial and policy support while about 20 provinces reportedly included measures to support the industry in their plans for this year.
“Local governments are moving to construct civil airports and temporary eVTOL landing sites across the country, driven by the development of advanced drone technologies and expanding domestic demand,” Kashif Anwar, a research analyst at Global Strategic and Defence Analyses (GSDN) wrote in an article for the Lowy Institute.
Swinburne University of Technology Aerostructures Innovation Research Hub director Adriano Di Pietro said having eVTOLs in Beijing’s economic plan was huge for the industry.
“From a Chinese perspective, it doesn’t get any bigger than that in terms of backing from the government,” said Dr Di Pietro.
“They are heavily backing the players, with EHang probably the one in front in China at the moment.
“So when you look at this race, it’s definitely not an even race.
“China is really going in aggressively into the market.”
In order to operate in a particular country, an aircraft needs to get a Type Certificate from the airline regulator.
Guangzhou-based startup EHang was the first manufacturer in the world to get a Type Certificate for an eVTOL in October last year, allowing it to operate commercially.
According to EHang, its pilotless EH216-S can take two passengers, has a cruising speed of 100 km/h and a maximum range of 35km.
EHang demonstrated a potential application of the drone-like eVTOL in December, running sight-seeing flights at two locations.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) also recently gave it the green light to begin mass production.
However, EHang’s certification came with some pretty restrictive conditions which currently limit its possible uses.
They include that the EH216-S must only fly within sight of ground crew and not above densely populated urban areas, at night or in inclement weather.
The company has also been dogged by accusations of inflating its orders.
EHang denies the accusations and says the limitations on the EH216-S will be lifted over time.
In the meantime, several other manufacturers have submitted their applications for Type Certification with the CAAC.
AutoFlight, which has operations in China and Europe, last month began the Type Certification process for its “lift-and-cruise” Prosperity five-seater eVTOL.
While it takes off and lands vertically, it uses fixed-wing flight for horizontal cruising, giving it a reported range of more than 250km.
“The eVTOL aircraft will be utilised for point-to-point air travel within cities and intercity areas, with the objective being to ultimately offer pricing similar to ground-based car services,” the company said in a press release.
It comes after AutoFlight’s V2000CG, an uncrewed cargo-only version of the Prosperity aircraft, became the first large cargo eVTOL to receive a Type Certificate in March.
In the same month, XPeng AeroHT submitted an application for certification of a “modular” dual-mode eVTOL vehicle.
The “Land Aircraft Carrier” comprises a van with a drone in the back that can carry two people. The company says it could go into production next year.
Dr Di Pietro said a major advantage for eVTOL companies in China was the lower cost of getting a Type Certificate compared to the US or Europe.
Type Certification is normally a rigorous process that tests whether the aircraft complies with the airworthiness requirements of a country’s air law.
Dr Di Pietro said it cost about $1 billion to get a new aircraft certified in the US or Europe while it cost about a third of that in China.
That was in part due to government subsidies and financing support for developers, as well as their supply chains.
But he said Chinese certification was also more limited and perceived to be less safe.
“The notion that ‘you get what you pay for’ stands true,” he said.
“It is also less recognised across the globe” than certification from the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), he said.
“So that’s … [why] you won’t necessarily see an aircraft that’s been certified in China, flying in the skies in Australia, or the US, or the EU,” Dr Di Pietro said.
“You can look at some of the commercial aircraft right now that are operating in China, from Chinese manufacturers … those aircraft don’t fly in FAA or EASA, or even [Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority] controlled jurisdictions — they’re really for the Chinese market.”
Dr Di Pietro said there were a number of players in the Australian eVTOL space but short-hop urban taxi services were unlikely to be coming to Australian cities anytime soon.
He said that was due to not only safety concerns but also competition from regular ground transport.
Instead, Dr Di Pietro said regional eVTOL services were more viable in the short-term, likely using hydrogen propulsion instead of normal batteries.
Hydrogen offers a better energy to weight ratio than batteries which means longer potential range.
Dr Di Pietro said eVTOLs could be used for shorter regional routes that have fewer passengers and complement the existing aviation network.
Sydney company AMSL Aero was aiming to launch their hydrogen-powered product in Australia by 2026, he said.
Dr Di Pietro is leading a bid for federal government funding to develop a Cooperative Research Centre for “advanced air mobility” technologies, including eVTOLs.
He said they were able to bring together more than 70 partners in Australia to work on this “future aviation space”.
“There is a substantial sector here in Australia and just like any of the of these countries that are pursuing an eVTOL future, government support is going to be really important.
“I think in particular, the opportunity for advanced air mobility in Australia is not just the operation of these vehicles, but as a sovereign industry.”
