FutureFlight
EHang Unveils Longer-range VT-30 eVTOL Design, But Details Are Sketchy
The hybrid-electric, fixed-wing model is projected to have range of up to 187 miles, but will carry only two passengers, like the existing EH216 aircraft.
EHang VT-30
EHang says the VT-30 eVTOL aircraft it unveiled this week in China has made an initial vertical takeoff and landing. (Photo: EHang)

EHang’s unveiling this week of its VT-30 Autonomous Aerial Vehicle confirmed its intention to bring a longer-range eVTOL aircraft to market. However, the Chinese company’s announcement late on May 25 provides little detail as to the technology behind the lift-plus-cruise design and the timeline for achieving type certification.

Photos of the two-seat VT-30 shows a small oval-shaped cabin with a single pusher propeller at the rear for cruise flight, a fixed-wing with winglets, and eight sets of electric motors and vertical-lift propellers fitted to a pair of parallel booms connecting the wing to a bow-shaped tail with a lifting rudder surface. EHang has not provided any details about the composition of the all-electric propulsion system that it says will support a range of up to 300 km (187 miles) or 100 minutes flight time.