The dreams of going home after work by air, using an autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV) rather than being stuck in traffic could soon come true in Guangzhou as Ehang, a Guangzhou-based technology company, is cooperating with the Guangzhou government to set up a low-altitude aviation transportation network for AAVs.

Four routes are going to be launched for testing this year and more multipoint routes are expected in the future.

The company and the government are working on testing both AAVs and air routes to ensure the program confirms to standards. They will accelerate establishment of an urban flight system and safety administration standards to provide technical solutions to air traffic problems.

Moreover, Guangzhou plans to build a management platform for government drones to improve the efficiency of daily supervision and emergency management. With technical support from Ehang, a new logistics mode will be created by using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to directly deliver essentials.

According to Ehang, a two-seat AAV is able to carry up to two persons of under 200kg and 2.2m height. The service is only available to those over 5 years old and free of heart disease.

Billed as both safe and speedy, the AAVs allow passengers to travel in three mins what would normally be a half hour’s drive, at roughly the same cost as the equivalent taxi fare.

Author: Pu Enling (Intern)

Editors: Simon Haywood, Steven Yuen