FutureFlight
EHang Reports Certification Testing Complete for EH216-S eVTOL Aircraft
The Chinese company is eagerly awaiting an uptick in revenues once initial type certification is in hand and it can accelerate deliveries of the two-seat autonomous vehicle.
Type certification flight testing of EHang EH216-S eVTOL aircraft
Officials from the Civil Aviation Administration of China are now reviewing type certification test data for EHang's EH216-S autonomous eVTOL aircraft. (Image: EHang)

EHang is expecting to receive a type certificate very soon for its EH216-S autonomous eVTOL aircraft from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), after reporting it has now completed all required testing. If confirmed, this would make the Chinese company the first in the world to get approval for an eVTOL vehicle, with leading Western regulators not expected to follow suit until at least the second quarter of 2024.

Reporting second-quarter financial results on August 17, EHang confirmed that it has in fact already been making some pre-certification deliveries in China with 16 of the two-seat vehicles delivered during the first half of 2023. The CAAC has permitted these aircraft to be deployed on a trial basis “in certain tourism locations” for testing, training, and demonstration purposes.