Chinese drone maker Ehang to compete with Uber in flying taxis introduction

Beijing. February 23. Silkroadnews - Chinese drone maker Ehang will compete with Uber in flying taxis introduction, the South China Morning Post reports.
“In Guangzhou earlier this month 40 people, including the deputy mayor of the southern Chinese province, lined up for a taste of the future of transport – an autonomous flying taxi. The Ehang 184 drone flew the passengers on round trips of up to 15 kilometres, with some reaching the top speed of 130km per hour,” the report said.
Ride companies such as Uber and Didi, as well as a subsidiary of Alpham Waymo, are testing unmanned driving technologies that, according to companies, will improve the road safety. Sharing unmanned vehicles can also eliminate the need for car ownership.
To fly the Ehang drone, passengers enter their route into the flight control system, press the button, and the drone will take them to the destination. At present the flying taxi has a limited range, but manufacturer states that Ehang is reliable enough to fly in a thunderstorm and even during a typhoon. If something goes wrong, the pilot in the control center can remotely control the drone.
Uber also considers the possibility of creating cars that can fly, with plans to launch an air taxi by 2020.
Drones, such as Ehang 184, transporting people on the air, can also help reduce congestion on the roads and number of cars used.
Ehang first introduced its concept of a drone-taxi at the CES electronics exhibition in Las Vegas in 2016, although at that time many thought the idea of a drony-taxi was a fantasy.
The company has not specified the terms for the drones to be ready for public use, at present it works on adding optional manual controls that allow passengers to choose between automatic and manual control.
Another competitor to Ehang is Germany’s Volocopter with a flying taxi Volocopter 2X also presented at the CES.