Just tap your destination on the touch screen, strap in, and no need to tip the driver – because there isn't one. 

The era of the flying taxi is closer than you think, and Chinese company Ehang has shown how. A successful live flight in Lleida, northern Spain gave a taste of what these unmanned air-taxis can offer: electric, emission-free, with lower noise pollution levels, the Ehang EH216-S can zip you through the city and beyond – up to 30 kilometers, at up to 130 kilometers an hour.

Forget airports, runways and security queues, as these air taxis simply don't need them. They can take off and land vertically from any flat surface like a rooftop, car park, or even your back garden or balcony – if they're big enough.

Ehang's two-seater autonomous aircraft is powered by 16 electric rotors and features a slick and comfortable leather interior with a touchscreen display that shows exactly where you are.

"My dream was to build a small aircraft I could fly… then I wanted everyone to experience it," says Ehang founder Hu Huazhi, all smiles in Lleida as he describes his vision to CGTN.

"My dream was to build a small aircraft I could fly myself. But it wasn't long before I fulfilled that dream – so what next? I wanted all of humanity to experience this, so I turned it into an industry. This is not something that is out of reach – it's already here! And soon it will be part of everyone's lives."

So who's flying the flying car? All of Ehang's flights are controlled by a centralized command-and-control center that monitors all flight status, routes and weather conditions. Passengers can simply select their destination on a touchscreen inside the cabin and enjoy the ride without worrying about piloting the aircraft.

"Everything we do is to prove it's safe," says Hu. "We were the first in the world to achieve a full back-up. In today's demonstration everyone saw that it had 16 propellers working but during actual testing, we've flown the craft with just eight.

"Even with half the propellers working it can still fly and bring you safely to the ground. Then there's our control system, our energy system, our battery system, our management system, and the internal communication systems – they all have their own individual back-up. 

"So let's say something is malfunctioning, and I can tell you that things will malfunction, but there won't be an accident because we have a back-up solution for every possible failure.

"Many, many people have already flown our flights, we have been continuously testing since 2016 and we are constantly updating our safety flight records. So you can just enjoy the journey."

40,000 flights successfully completed

The vehicles also have emergency landing systems and parachutes in case of any malfunction. As with all new technologies, safety and security is top priority, and people can be hesitant to adopt and accept change. But there are still some obstacles in the flight path, particularly in terms of regulations and safety.

Ehang, however, can point to a proven track record as its vehicles are already in use in four Chinese cities including Guangzhou and Hefei, pilot projects that they say will soon become commercially available flights. Ehang has also conducted tests in 14 different countries since 2016.

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And with over 40,000 flights successfully completed, this Chinese industry leader has made aviation history by becoming the world's first company to create a certified airworthy passenger-carrying flying taxi.

"This certification process is a strict, scientific approval process, so we carried out a large number of tests and then a large number of test flights," explains Hu. Ehang applied for this certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) in January 2021. It grants official recognition of the airworthiness of an aircraft.

The CAAC tested Ehang's air taxis on over 500 parameters, including structural strength, software simulation, flight performance and electromagnetic compatibility. It was a long process lasting over 1,000 days and involved extensive laboratory, ground and flight tests.

'We need to help humanity develop further'

On October 15, 2023, Ehang announced it had received certification from the CAAC, making it the first company in the world to obtain such a certification for passenger-carrying eVTOL (electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing) aircraft.

This means Ehang can now start commercial operations of its air taxis in China. For Hu, striving towards big ideals is part of the job. His Nasdaq-listed company is heavily invested in the future and the sky's the limit.

"I traveled to more than 30 countries while we were developing this product and I made friends from all over the world – they encouraged this innovation," he enthuses.

"In China we want to maintain friendships with the rest of the world, my foreign friends are friends for life, we all live on the same planet and we do what we do for humanity, we need to strive for peace, be enterprising, and help humanity develop further. This is what I believe in."

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