chinese company ehang has been testing passenger drones for a while, the footage of which has been kept under wraps. yes, they created a buzz during the CES tech conference in las vegas in 2016 where it showed off a prototype of its passenger drone, the 184, but now among a backdrop of impressive airborne travel (particularly regarding elon musk’s tesla take off), the company has posted a video showing the ehang 184 in action through a series of manned tests.

 

video by ehang

 

 

the clip shows the ehang‘s efforts of building a completely autonomous vehicle to carry people and cargo through cities internationally in 2018, as closer to reality than ever before. according to the video released by guangzhou-based drone manufacturer, it has completed over 40 flying tests with its ehang 184 model, including several local government officials.

ehang reveals footage of its jumbo passenger drones in flight - 1

test flight of the ehang 184
images courtesy of ehang

 

 

the drone can carry a single person at up to 130 kilometers (80 miles) per hour and can withstand impressive weather conditions. according to ehang a no. 7 typhoon, strong winds (see more here) and heavy fog are not enough to stop the jumbo drone.

ehang reveals footage of its jumbo passenger drones in flight - 2

onboard a control center display allows a passenger to adjust floodlights and the cockpit’s temperature, and select a location on the map before setting the drone to fly

 

 

ehang is working with authorities in dubai to provide a self-flying taxi service, announced last year. that program has yet to set a launch date, and in the meantime, the chinese company is in the process of securing new partners.