Laurence DollimoreA CHINESE technology company has chosen Andalucia as its testing ground for its flying taxi service.
EHang will be testing its EHang AVV ‘passenger transport drone’ in Sevilla city after signing an agreement with the local government
It will be the first European city where such experimental tests will be carried out.
A drone command centre will also be created.
During the test flights, experts will study how well the aircraft can work in urban areas, how much they are accepted by the general public and their impact on the environment.
EHang is a world leader in autonomous aircraft technology and has spent years researching air transport which is environmentally friendly and accessible to the wider public.
The small helicopter-like aircraft comes complete with leather seats for extra comfort and a trunk large enough to fit an 18-inch suitcase.
It has been designed to be able to fit into a parking space and is connected to the command and control centre by a high-speed wireless 5G network.
The vehicle can be controlled from said command centre, meaning users simply put in their destination ‘and press go’.
It is not known how soon the drones will be rolled out and made available, assuming testing goes well.
