EHang passenger UAV system receives type certification

Oct 18, 2023 - 1:16 pm

EHang has received type certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) for its EH216-S passenger-carrying unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

The EH216-S type certificate is said to be the world’s first for an unmanned electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft and sets a benchmark for the airworthiness certification of eVTOLs in China and overseas.

Huazhi Hu, founder, chairman and CEO of EHang, remarked, “I extend my heartfelt gratitude to CAAC, the expert team, and all EHang employees for their unwavering dedication. Our self-developed EH216-S passenger-carrying UAV system has finally met high expectation to secure the first type certificate in the global eVTOL industry, marking a significant chapter in civil aviation history.

“Embracing the type certificate as our springboard, we will launch commercial operations of the EH216-S unmanned eVTOLs, prioritizing safety above all. This will enable us to steadily progress towards our strategic goal to be a UAM platform operator, and commit to our mission to enable safe, autonomous, and eco-friendly air mobility accessible to everyone.”

Years of validation

Since CAAC formally accepted EHang’s EH216-S type certificate application in January 2021, the EHang team has worked closely with CAAC and its expert team towards validating and verifying the aircraft’s innovative cutting-edge technologies.

During the validation process, the EH216-S underwent extensive laboratory, ground, and flight tests at professional aviation laboratories and test sites across multiple locations in China. The validation process scrutinized components, equipment, and the entire aircraft for prefabricated defects, faults and interferences during both laboratory experiments and flight trials.

The EH216-S has undergone 500 specific test items, more than 40,000 test flights for adjustments, and formal conformity validation tests encompassing 65 major categories and over 450 individual test items.