China unveils ‘omnicopter’ flying TAXIS to transport passengers between cities
Pioneering plans to fly hybrid car-helicopter-plane-taxis to transport passengers between cities have been unveiled.
It comes as China successfully completed the world’s first intercity test flight of an electric air taxi in its quest to revolutionize travel.
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The demonstration, organized by AutoFlight, took place on February 27 between the southern Chinese cities of Shenzhen and Zhuhai.
The plane flew towards the sky unmanned and flew a route that would have taken three hours by car in just twenty minutes.
AutoFlight is a Shanghai-based eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft) maker.
The ‘omnicopter’, named Prosperity, took off from the Shekou Cruise Homeport platform at 5 p.m.
It rose to a height of 97 meters and flew towards its destination.
Within minutes it disappeared from the sight of the stunned spectators.
Throughout the flight, helicopters flew by and filmed the aircraft’s maneuvers, creating a spectacular spectacle.
After the short flight, the plane successfully landed at Zhuhai Jiuzhou port.
It marked an important milestone on the way to… future which the developers hope will soon be seen as a regular way of working transport.
The event was a joint effort of eVTOL companies, air traffic companies, government management departments, airspace management departments, etc. and successfully realized the integration of eVTOL technology.
Often referred to as the “Sky Taxi” or “Aerial Taxi”, the eVTOL operates without the need for traditional airports and runways.
It uses eight propellers mounted on booms extending from the wings and two pusher propellers.
Like helicopters, it can take off vertically and switch to fixed-wing flight mode for high-speed cruising in the air.
It is a fully electric, environmentally friendly, quiet and comfortable means of transport.
Passengers would be able to easily book a ride through a phone app, allowing for quick intra-city and inter-city travel.
Autoflight is also developing a cargo variant of Prosperity called CarryAll, which has a payload of 400 kg and a firefighting version.
The company said it has more than 900 pre-orders for all three aircraft models.
Tian Yu, Founder, CEO and Co-Chairman of AutoFlight, said: “We are excited to demonstrate AutoFlight’s groundbreaking capabilities today on the world’s first eVTOL demonstration flight over sea and between cities.”
He added: “Working closely with local authorities and partners here, and in other jurisdictions around the world, we will continue to drive this revolution to bring safe, efficient, sustainable and affordable eVTOL flight options to cities around the world to take.”
Prosperity has a maximum range of 155 miles (250 kilometers), a maximum cruising speed of 125 miles per hour, and can carry up to five people.
Compared to helicopters, eVTOL has advantages such as high safety, low passenger costs, low maintenance costs, less noise and modern computers.
It has become an important segment in the future urban air transport industry and a sought after industrial highland worldwide.
It comes as flying taxis will no longer be a distant concept but a reality in a holiday hotspot much loved by Brits.
A Californian company has signed an agreement with Dubai that will allow tourists to be transported around the UAE city by taxi from next year.
In this luxury mode of travel, paying passengers will book the desired trip via an app and wait at “vertiports”, similar to today’s airports, for a propeller-driven taxi to pick them up.
And Dubai’s dramatic skyline will soon be filled with buzzing passenger drones ferrying tourists and commuters.
Unveiled in Nevada, the Chinese-made EHang 184 seats one person and can fly for 30 minutes at a time.
Passengers up to and including 16th can select a destination up to 50 kilometers away via a touchscreen, after which they are automatically guided away by a command center.
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