Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Dubai abuzz as plans floated for passenger-carrying drone
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Up, up and away: Dubai hopes to have a passenger-carrying drone regularly buzzing through the skyline of this futuristic city-state in July.
The arrival of the Chinese-made EHang 184, which already has had its flying debut over Dubai’s sail-shaped Burj al-Arab skyscraper hotel, comes as the Emirati city also has partnered with other cutting-edge technology companies, including Hyperloop One.
The question is whether the egg-shaped, four-legged craft will really take off as a transportation alternative in this car-clogged city already home to the world’s longest driverless metro line.
Mattar al-Tayer, head of Dubai’s Roads and Transportation Agency, announced plans to have the craft regularly flying at the World Government Summit. Before his remarks Monday, most treated the eight-propeller craft as another curiosity at an event that views itself as a desert Davos.
“This is not only a model,” al-Tayer said. “We have actually experimented with this vehicle flying in Dubai’s skies.”
The craft can carry a passenger weighing up to 220 pounds and a small suitcase. After buckling into its race-car-style seat, the craft’s passenger selects a destination on a touchscreen pad and the drone flies there automatically.
The drone, which has a battery allowing for a halfhour flight time and a range of up to 31 miles, will be monitored remotely by a control room on the ground. It has a top speed of 100 mph, but authorities say it will be operated typically at 62 mph.
Al-Tayer said the drone would begin regular operations in July.
The Road and Transportation Agency later issued a statement saying the drone had been examined by the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and was controlled through 4G mobile internet.
In May, authorities in Nevada announced they would partner with EHang to test the 184 to possibly be cleared by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.
Dubai, the commercial capital of UAE and home to the long-haul carrier Emirates, has bold visions for the future and the 184 fits right into its plans.
Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, announced in April he wanted 25 percent of all passenger trips in the city to be done by driverless vehicles in 2030. To that end, Dubai already has had the box-shaped driverless EZ10, built by France’s EasyMile, cruise nearby the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.
In October, Dubai signed a deal with Los Angelesbased Hyperloop One to study the potential for building a hyperloop line between it and Abu Dhabi, the Emirati capital.
A hyperloop has levitating pods powered by electricity and magnetism that hurtle through low-friction pipes at a top speed of 760 mph.