EHang 184 AAV (Autonomous Aerial Vehicle) is the first passenger-carrying drone unveiled at the CES 2016 trade fair in Las Vegas, U.S.A. The electric aircraft with interior and exterior lighting, air conditioning, a 4G internet connection, gull-wing doors and so on was built by the Chinese UAV company EHang.
The Ehang 184 AAV is a 440 lb, eight-rotor aircraft which is able to lift a single person 500 metres into the air and fly them to any point on Google Maps, avoiding objects automatically and safely handling take-off and landing (as long as it can be reached within the 23 minutes battery limit).
Passengers who ride inside the EHang 184 AAV won’t need a pilot’s license since the drone will be totally automated, i.e. passengers will only input a destination and have no control during the flight. If any components malfunction or disconnect, the aircraft will immediately land in the nearest possible area to ensure safety.
The idea behind the EHang 184 AAV is that users will simply get in, power it up, select their destination using a 12-inch touch-screen tablet display, then press the "take-off" button. The drone's automated flight systems will take over from there, managing tasks such as communication with air traffic control and other aircraft, obstacle avoidance, and of course navigation.
Ehang adds that in the event of your drone experiencing problems, human pilots housed in custom built "command centres" will be able to take over and guide you to safety. Of course, it would have to build such centres first.
The aircraft features a 14.4 kWh battery pack will can be fully charged for four hours in trickle mode or two hours in fast-charge. The full charged battery is sufficient to keep one passenger airborne for up to 23 minutes at sea level. It weighs 200 kg (440 lb) and can carry up to 120 kg (264 lb), it has a maximum speed of 100 km/h (62 mph) and can reach a maximum altitude of 3,499 m (11,480 ft).
EHang 184 AAV price is yet to be known but it may likely to fall between US $200,000 and $300,000. Countries where the EHang 184 AAV will be available is also yet to be known due to the different regulations and agencies of different countries because the aircraft represents an entirely new category of technology, but the company is working closely with government agencies across the planet to develop and regulate the future of this transportation.
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