Source: EHang

 

On April 13, EHang reported that it has become a member of the Japan Advanced Air Mobility Government-Enterprise Cooperation Committee (hereinafter referred to as “PPC”), which aims to coordinate with global government departments and enterprises to focus on the application of aircraft in Japan.

As the only autonomous vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL) company among the 56 committee members, EHang will leverage its industry-leading technological advantages in autonomous aerial vehicles (AAV) to help Japan create an advanced air mobility (AAM) ecosystem and ensure the safe operation of eVTOL aircraft.

The Japan Advanced Air Mobility Government-Enterprise Cooperation Committee was jointly established by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) in August 2018. The purpose is to combine the advantages of the government, scientific research institutions, industry experts, aircraft manufacturers and service providers to discuss eVTOL technology and system development, and to explore various AAM application scenarios and services in Japan.

METI and MLIT have jointly released a roadmap for the application of AAM in Japan. The goals include the use of eVTOL aircraft at the 2025 Osaka Kansai World Expo, the introduction of manned transportation services in cities, tourist attractions, mountains and isolated islands, and disaster emergency logistics transportation. The roadmap also covers research into autonomous aerial vehicles.

EHang has a long history of expanding cooperation in the Japanese market.
In the past two years, the test flight footprint of the EH216-S autonomous aircraft has expanded to 6 cities in Japan, and flight demonstrations have been completed in multiple application scenarios. It was welcomed by the local government, MLIT, and EHang customers and partners, including two members of PPC – AirX, Japan’s leading air mobility digital platform company, and MASC, Japan’s aerospace research institution.

EH216-S completed the first point-to-point flight and the first manned flight of an autonomous eVTOL aircraft in Japan last year and earlier this year

Fang Xin, Chief Operating Officer of EHang said: “We are delighted to be one of the members of PPC, the largest AAM alliance in Japan. We believe that through exchanges and cooperation among members, especially with the support of our leading AAV technology and rich experience in Japanese test flights, innovative ideas that enhance synergies will be brought to promote changes in the future AAM field in Japan.”