Since its early days as an eVTOL aircraft pioneer, China’s EHang has craved a global profile, and Europe was the first territory outside its homeland where it embarked on its mission to win friends and influence people who it felt might support its efforts to develop urban air mobility (UAM). Back in 2017, it first flew a concept for its early EH184 Autonomous Aerial Vehicle in Austria, and in April 2019 a flight demonstration by the larger EH216 model at a soccer stadium in Vienna marked one of the first major opportunities for European media to see what was meant by an eVTOL aircraft.
This engagement with Europe didn’t happen randomly. It was part of a well-orchestrated plan by EHang that has seen it forge alliances elsewhere on the continent, including Spain and Norway, where it intends to conduct flight trials under experimental permits, as well as in other countries including Qatar and Canada.
