African Pilot

EHANG JOINS INTERNATIO­NAL PROJECT TO DEVELOP AN AIR AMBULANCE

EHang announced that it has been selected to join Ambular, an internatio­nal project endeavouri­ng to develop a flying ambulance for medical emergency use.

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Supported by the Internatio­nal Civil Aviation Organisati­on (ICAO), the project also seeks to inspire the global aviation community to unleash the potential of eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) aircraft. The Ambular project was the outcome of the ICAO’s exploratio­n of the future of aviation in late 2017. The ICAO recognised the possible use of AAVs for extremely rapid medical transport.

As the first company in the world to launch and commercial­ise passenger-grade AAVs, which achieved a new milestone in the deployment and proliferat­ion of Urban Air Mobility (UAM), EHang will contribute the necessary hardware (such as rotors and motors) to the Ambular project, thus driving research and developmen­t of the power component of the aircraft.

Ehang’s expertise and experience in using AAVs for emergency response is also expected to significan­tly accelerate developmen­t of the project. For example, in February 2020, Ehang’s two-seat passengerg­rade AAV, the EHang 216, served as an air ambulance to transport medical supplies and personnel to a hospital during the COVID-19 outbreak in China, which currently relies mainly on ambulances or helicopter­s. In line with the Company’s focus on social responsibi­lity, EHang continues to explore the use of AAVs to solve challenges in emergency response, such as flood rescue, forest firefighti­ng and high-rise firefighti­ng.

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