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The eVTOL (electrical vertical takeoff and touchdown) plane area isn’t for everybody. Some persons are loopy about it (maybe too loopy) and others suppose it’s as a lot of a lifeless finish as flying vehicles have been within the Fifties. Frankly, I don’t know the place I stand, however I’m to see the place all of it goes, and I take pleasure in watching and reporting on the progress. EHang is definitely one of many corporations to look at, so let’s get to its newest information — 5 tales revealed inside the previous week, ranging from most up-to-date to least latest.
To begin with, we’ve acquired a easy story about new investments ($22 million) into EHang from China and the UAE, bringing the corporate’s whole financing to date this 12 months as much as about $100 million. Listed below are the small print: “EHang Holdings Restricted (‘EHang’ or the ‘Firm’) (Nasdaq: EH), the world’s main City Air Mobility (‘UAM’) expertise platform firm, at this time introduced a strategic funding totaling over US$22 million. The buyers are Zhuhai Enpower Electrical Co., Ltd. (‘Enpower’, SZ300681), a Chinese language main new vitality car energy methods supplier, and a strategic institutional investor from the Center East. Each buyers comply with a 180-day lock-up interval.
“The strategic funding from Enpower relies on its just lately introduced long-term strategic partnership and expertise growth cooperation with EHang, geared toward co-developing high-performance electrical motor drive methods for EHang’s suite of electrical vertical take-off and touchdown (‘eVTOL’) plane.
“Moreover, the strategic funding from the United Arab Emirates (‘UAE’)-based investor displays their optimism in China’s rising low-altitude economic system trade and EHang’s progress potential as a worldwide eVTOL chief. The UAE represents one in all EHang’s largest worldwide markets with an intentional order ebook of 100 items with 5 items delivered. This investor will make the most of their in depth monetary and enterprise community to help in EHang’s worldwide enlargement in different nations within the Center East in addition to in Southeast Asia.”
That’s progress, and opens extra doorways, however $22 million is fairly small peanuts in this type of market.
Yesterday, EHang introduced it had made a “breakthrough” in solid-state battery tech. Working with the Low-Altitude Economic system Battery Analysis Institute of the Hefei Worldwide Superior Know-how Utility Promotion Middle and the corporate Shenzhen Inx Power Know-how Co., Ltd. (“Inx”), EHang carried out the primary eVTOL flight with a passenger however no pilot by which the eVTOL plane was utilizing solid-state batteries. The flight went for 48 minutes and 10 seconds. The corporate says that utilizing this solid-state battery “improves the flight endurance by 60%–90%.” That’s quite a bit! No point out on prices. You can learn extra concerning the battery right here.
EHang launches a brand new hub. Over in Luogang Central Park in Hefei, Anhui Province, EHang simply launched a brand new UAM hub. “Titled ‘Ascend’, the UAM Hub’s upward spiral design symbolizes the rise of the eVTOL low-altitude economic system. It spans roughly 1,963 sq. meters and is designed to accommodate 10 to twenty items of EH216-S plane. It options a number of devoted zones for ticketing, passenger ready, boarding, and a command-and-control heart and charging and upkeep areas. It is going to present EH216-S flight providers for the general public in accordance with the operational normal after acquiring the Air Operator Certificates (‘OC’). The hub additionally serves the features of upkeep and offers instructional providers.” You may study extra right here. The title was “EHang Launches City Air Mobility Hub at Luogang Central Park in Hefei to Drive Low-Altitude Economic system.” Is a low-altitude economic system actually coming? We’ll see….
EHang companions with Zhuhai Enpower Electrical Co for electrical motor drive system. The corporate has a brand new expertise associate. It’s “a long-term strategic partnership and expertise growth cooperation with Zhuhai Enpower Electrical Co., Ltd. (‘Enpower’, SZ300681), a pioneer in new vitality car (‘NEV’) energy methods, to co-develop high-performance electrical motors and motor controllers for EHang’s suite of electrical vertical take-off and touchdown (‘eVTOL’) plane.” Partnerships and progressive, refined expertise are nice, however they’ve acquired to get them to mass manufacturing to make a distinction. For now, you’ll be able to learn extra concerning the partnership right here.
Passenger flights in Thailand. Final however not least, EHang shared that its EH216-S pilotless eVTOL aicraft carried out its first passenger flights in Thailand just lately. They came about beginning on the Queen Sirikit Nationwide Conference Middle in central Bangkok. The corporate plans to conduct extra check flights and the start industrial flights beginning in 2025.
“The debut passenger flights of our EH216-S pilotless eVTOL in Thailand is a key milestone in EHang’s ongoing worldwide growth and that could be a robust increase in selling the transformation of worldwide superior city air mobility,” Mr. Conor Yang, CFO of EHang, said. “We purpose to use our pilotless eVTOL merchandise and options within the Southeast Asian market. Sooner or later, with the robust assist of the CAAT, we are going to cooperate with our native companions to formulate a mannequin for normal UAM operations in Thailand, contributing to the event of the city air mobility market in Southeast Asia and worldwide.”
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