EHang in PPC will contribute its industry-leading expertise in Autonomous Aerial Vehicle technology to promote the AAM ecosystem for safe eVTOL aircraft operations in Japan.
EHang, the autonomous eVTOL provider, has been appointed as a member of Japan’s Public-Private Committee for Advanced Air Mobility (PPC). The committee is a platform for players in the public and private sectors to collaborate on adopting flying vehicles in Japan. EHang will contribute its industry-leading expertise in Autonomous Aerial Vehicle technology to promote the AAM ecosystem for safe eVTOL aircraft operations in Japan. EHang is the only autonomous eVTOL provider among the 56 PPC members.
The PPC was jointly established by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) in 2018. The aim of the committee is to discuss eVTOL technology and system development for various nationwide AAM applications and services. The committee unites the respective strengths of government ministries, scientific research institutions, experts, aircraft manufacturers, and service suppliers.
Xin Fang, Chief Operating Officer of EHang, said, “We are excited to become a member of the PPC, Japan’s largest alliance for AAM. We believe our exchange and collaboration with other members, especially backed by our advanced AAV technologies and trial flight experience in Japan, will bring new concepts for enhancing synergies to facilitate Japan’s future AAM revolution.”
The METI and MLIT have released a roadmap on implementing AAM in society, which includes objectives for the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, as well as passenger transportation services in urban areas, tourist areas, mountainous regions, and isolated islands. The roadmap also involves the development of unmanned aircraft.
EHang and Japan have been in a long-standing interrelationship. In the past two years, EH216-S AAV has expanded its trial flights footprint in six cities across Japan for multiple use case demonstrations. The local government, MLIT, and EHang’s customers and partners, including the leading Japanese air mobility digital platform company AirX and the Japanese aerospace research institution MASC, both members of the PPC, have welcomed these trials. Earlier this year, EH216-S carried out Japan’s first passenger-carrying flight by an autonomous eVTOL aircraft. This followed its completion of Japan’s first point-to-point flight by an eVTOL aircraft last year.
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The appointment of EHang to the PPC is significant, given the company’s expertise in autonomous aerial vehicle technology. This technology will play a vital role in the implementation of AAM in Japan, as the country seeks to establish a safe and reliable ecosystem for eVTOL aircraft operations. With its extensive experience in trial flights and partnerships with leading Japanese companies, EHang is poised to contribute significantly to the development of Japan’s AAM revolution.
