EHang

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EHang is the Chinese pioneer of autonomous passenger eVTOL flight. Founded in Guangzhou in 2014 and listed on Nasdaq under the ticker EH, the company was the first in the world to bring a pilotless air taxi into genuine commercial service. Its bet is more radical than that of its Western rivals: there is no pilot on board at all — every flight is performed autonomously under the supervision of a ground control center.

EH216-S: the world's first certified eVTOL

The company's flagship, the EH216-S, is a two-seat autonomous multicopter powered by sixteen electric motors on eight arms. Cruise speed is around 100 km/h and range is roughly 30 km — the format of short urban and sightseeing hops. The EH216-S holds all three key approvals from China's civil aviation authority: the world's first type certificate for a passenger eVTOL (CAAC, October 2023), a production certificate in 2024, and, in March 2025, the world's first air operator certificate for autonomous passenger flights. Paying passengers are already flying in several Chinese cities. This is not a prototype — it is a working product.

What this means for a buyer

The EH216-S is the first eVTOL you can actually buy: the list price is around $410,000, comparable to a light piston helicopter. Typical applications are sightseeing flights over fixed routes, resort and theme-park operations, and demonstration programs. The limitations matter too: the CAAC certificate is valid in China, so operating the aircraft in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan or elsewhere in the CIS will require separate approval from the local aviation authority — usually in the form of experimental or restricted operations within segregated airspace.

The aircraft's safety case is built on redundancy: sixteen independent motors allow continued flight after multiple failures, all critical systems are duplicated, and flights follow pre-approved corridors monitored from the ground — which greatly simplifies both certification and insurance. Operating economics differ radically from helicopters: an electric powertrain has no engine overhauls, and maintenance comes down to scheduled checks and battery replacement by cycle count, putting the cost per flight hour an order of magnitude below a light helicopter.

Against its Western competitors EHang wins on tempo: while Joby and Archer finish certification, the Chinese company is already delivering aircraft, training operators and building vertiports. Its next model, the longer-range VT-35, is intended to stretch the format from sightseeing to intercity flights. JetHunter tracks the program, advises on purchasing and importing the EH216-S into the region, and helps structure the dialogue with local aviation authorities — from a single aircraft for a resort to a full air-taxi fleet.