Ghost is a quadcopter developed by Ehang in a typical quadrotor layout with a pair of skids as landing gear. However, Ghost has an unusual feature: the rotors are mounted below the tips of the arms, instead of being mounted on top of the tips of the arms like most other multirotors. Ghost is mainly intended for aerial photography missions, and it is controlled by a smartphone. Its complete name is Ghost Intelligent Aerial Robot (Chinese: Ghost智能空中机器人; pinyin: Ghost zhìnéng kōngzhōng jīqìrén).
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Propellers: 4-bladed
Performance
Maximum speed: 60 km/h (37 mph, 32 kn)
Endurance: 25 min
Service ceiling: 914 m (2,999 ft)
Rate of climb: 2.5 m/s (490 ft/min)
Hexacopter
Ehang Hexacopter is a UAV developed by Ehang and it has not yet been named. The existence of this hexacopter was revealed for the first time to the public when it made its public debut in August 2014 at TechCrunch Beijing. The yet-to-be-named hexacopter is constructed of carbon fiber composite material with a pair of skids as landing gear. The arms of this hexacopter are curved, as opposed to the straight arms of most multi-rotors currently on the market. The hexacopter is controlled by laptop computer.
Data from engadgetGeneral characteristics
Capacity: 10 kg
Propellers: 6-bladed
Performance
Range: 5.0 km (3.1 mi, 2.7 nmi)
Endurance: 30 - 40 min
EHang 184
The EHang 184 is an autonomous passenger drone capable of reaching over 62 mph (100 km/h).
EHang says it started carrying passengers in 2015 and since made 40 journeys till releasing footage in February 2018.
In three years, more than 1,000 test flights were conducted, including some "violent" ones with dummies, in storm-force winds, in low visibility, at night and 1,000 ft (300 m) above the ground. It has eight propellers on four arms and by July 2018, 30 to 40 single pilot EHang 184 have been built.
Data from Electric VTOL News and AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGYGeneral characteristics
Crew: None (self-piloted)
Capacity: 1 passenger
Length: 3.86 m (12 ft 8 in)
Wingspan: 5.5 m (18 ft 1 in)
Height: 1.44 m (4 ft 9 in)
Propellers: 8 2-bladed fixed pitch
Performance
Cruise speed: 130 km/h (81 mph, 70 kn)
Range: 16 km (9.9 mi, 8.6 nmi)
Service ceiling: 500 m (1,600 ft)
EHang 216
The 216 is a two-seater with 16 propellers in a coaxial double-baled design. It made over 1,000 manned flights by July 2018 and its maximum trip length was 8.8 km (5.5 miles). It could fly 25 min for a range of 30–40 km (16–22 nmi). The aircraft is targeted for autonomous flying, to be monitored from an EHang or its customer command-and-control center. Austrian aerostructures supplier FACC AG partnered with EHang to certify and produce the aircraft in Europe, within simpler certification requirements for takeoff weights below 600 kg (1,320 lb).
In October 2018, the CAAC approved initial passenger operations at specific locations to develop urban air taxis regulations. EHang began taking preorders since, for island-hopping and to a Chinese coastal resort for aerial sightseeing within their site. A 1 km (0.54 nmi) shuttle across the river of its home city of Guangzhou should avoid a 30 min drive due to traffic congestion on the downtown bridge. US biotechnology company United Therapeutics, manufacturing organs for human transplants, should test rapid automated delivery from laboratory to hospital by the end of 2019.
In March 2020, the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority issued a permit for manned test and certification flights. It is the first such approval in Europe.
On May 27, 2020, EHang obtained the world's first commercial pilot operation approval from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (“CAAC”) to use EHang 216 passenger-grade AAVs for air logistics purpose. The EHang 216 received a special flight operations certificate (SFOC) from Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA) for test flights in Québec, Canada.
Ehang 216-S
Data from Electric VTOL NewsGeneral characteristics
Crew: Unpiloted
Capacity: 2 passengers (260 kg)
Length: 5.61 m (18 ft 5 in)
Height: 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Propellers: 16-bladed
Performance
Maximum speed: 130 km/h (81 mph, 70 kn)
Cruise speed: 100 km/h (62 mph, 54 kn)
Minimum control speed: 70 km/h (43 mph, 38 kn)
Range: 35 km (22 mi, 19 nmi)Uses 5G wireless connectivity to communicate. Maximum altitude: 9,843 ft (3,000 m).21-minute flight time. Charge time: ~2 hours. Payload: 485 lb (220 kg).
Firefighting
The EHang 216F is a version designed for aerial firefighting, particularly in high-rise buildings. It has a maximum flight altitude of 600 meters and can carry up to 150 liters of fire extinguishing agent. Equipped with a camera, it can independently locate fires.
The pilotless aircraft navigates preset routes using 5G wireless connectivity to communicate with the command center. It can reach an altitude of 9,843 feet (3,000 meters), and its onboard batteries provide a range of 22 miles (35 kilometers) or a flight time of 21 minutes per charge. Recharging is reported to take approximately 2 hours. The payload capacity is said to be 485 pounds (220 kilograms). Passengers enter through gull-wing doors, and the eVTOL features fixed landing gear.
