An Austrian aerospace company and its Chinese partner demonstrated its drone-taxi in Vienna Thursday, trying to sell the idea of flying taxis to government officials.
Local officials and journalist gathered in the Austrian capital’s Generali Arena football stadium to spectate the two-seater EHang 216, liftoff and fly around the stadium at an altitude of roughly 30 feet.
Derrick Xiong, the co-founder of EHang, told AFP that the drone has been extensively tested and is ready for series production.
A new era of autonomous aircraft services is expected to revolutionize travel across the world by 2025. EHang and Austria’s FACC, owned by Chinese aerospace group AVIC, entered into a strategic partnership last year to offer European countries the ability to affordably deploy flying drone services in their major cities.
EHang 216 can fly at 90 mph for 30 minutes, FACC Chief Executive Officer Robert Machtlinger said. “It can travel between 50 and 70 kilometers depending on the payload.”
AFP photographer Joe Klama was the first passenger to take part in the flight. He said the cabin is small, with leg room that a taller person might find less-than-adequate.
Klama said: “The rotors are scary, but we got used to it.”
FACC told journalists there are thousands of preorders for the $336,000 drone, mostly from China.
EHang’s competitors over the next decade include Airbus and Uber.
Xiong said the drone could carry passengers at low altitude over distances of up to 22 miles, but there is still significant work ahead in clearing the aerial vehicle with aviation authorities.
He hopes that the company by 2021 will have already produced roughly 300 of the drones for global customers.
Austrian Transport Minister Norbert Hofer, who was one of the local officials at the demonstration, said he believes Austria could be one of the first countries in the world to have flying drone taxis in its cities.
Video: First flying “drone-taxi” takes off in Vienna
via ZeroHedge News http://bit.ly/2UGdaqj Tyler Durden