Chinese Companies Get Flying Taxis Off the Ground

A glimpse of what the future of flying taxis might look like can be seen in a southeastern Chinese city. In a hangar in Kunshan, about 35 miles west of the port of Shanghai, a sort of gigantic drone was being prepared for a demonstration. The Matrix is a 5-ton electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle, or eVTOL, considered the largest electric aircraft ever built, at least in China. The Chinese company AutoFlight developed the Matrix, which can carry up to 10 passengers, the AP reports. It has a 66-foot wingspan and is 56 feet long and 11 feet tall. It can travel for an hour without charging. The idea is that eventually it could become a flying taxi, though experts say that it will take some time.

AutoFlight conducted a flying demonstration for the AP at its low-altitude flight test facility, first moving the Matrix from the hangar to a helipad. Once the propellers were turned on, and after a few minutes of checks, the eVTOL began rising. It was noisy, but less so than a helicopter. Around 10 minutes later, after two laps around the heliport, the Matrix returned and landed smoothly with no problems. When would a flying taxi become a reality? "This is very tough question for me to answer," said Steven Yang, senior vice president of AutoFlight. But he said it will happen. The company already has a 2-ton passenger eVTOL version but is awaiting needed certifications. Yang said AutoFlight hopes to get a type certificate from regulators by 2027, indicating the aircraft design complies with safety standards. But other regulatory approvals would still be required for an operator certificate allowing the aircraft to carry passengers. The Matrix is still a prototype.

Other companies in China are building eVTOL aircraft. One in Guangdong province, EHANG, has already been granted a certification to offer commercial passenger services. That hasn't happened yet. Apart from permits, flying taxis are not yet cruising the skies because they need facilities to support them. As part of what is known as the "low-altitude economy," what is already a reality is the use of drones for food delivery. Gary Ng, a senior economist at Natixis Corporate and Investment Banking, said hurdles still needing to be overcome include guaranteeing safety, building required infrastructure, and sorting out logistics such as routing. "All of this ecosystem surrounding the technology itself is also still underdeveloped at this point," he said. "I would say it would take at least another three years to see something more viable."