Chinese authorities grant EHang's passenger drone a license to fly.

The company's unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system, the EH216-S, was given a type certificate (TC), which attests to the drone's complete compliance with all safety and airworthiness standards set by CAAC.

The TC didn't just drop from the sky. In 2018, Ehang debuted a prototype passenger drone. From that point on, EHang says it worked "closely with CAAC confirming its professional team towards the aircraft's technologies" before submitting an application to start the TC approval process in January 2021.

Both parties learned something new. According to EHang, while CAAC modified its standards while EHang worked on its technology, it upheld "conventional century-old avionics principles along with an innovation-centric approach." In February 2022, the resulting "Special Conditions" for the EH216-S UAV System were released, and they might make it easier for similar systems to obtain type approval.

More than 40,000 test flights and more than 500 specific tests were performed on the EH216-S at specialized aviation labs and test facilities spread throughout China. The performance of the materials, fire resistance, crash tests, overall system functionality, electromagnetic compatibility, flying performance, and other tests were among those put to the test.

The EH216-S unscrewed eVTOLs will begin commercial operations, but the company has not yet provided information on launch markets.

Norway and Spain showed interest early on and granted the Chinese manufacturer permission to launch test flights in 2020. Specifically, CAA Norway issued an operational flight permit for EHang to conduct flights with a local customer for testing and potential certification. The authority believes the country’s geographic conditions, meaning an abundance of sparsely populated areas, suit the testing of uncrewed aircraft well.

The Nasdaq-listed company with headquarters in Guangzhou also received its special flight authorisation from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and conducted its first-ever trial flight of EHang 216 in the US earlier this year.

Early on, Norway and Spain expressed interest and permitted the Chinese manufacturer to begin test flights in 2020. In particular, CAA Norway granted EHang permission to conduct flights with a local client for the purposes of testing and potential certification. The country's geographic features, which include a lot of rural areas, are thought to be ideal for uncrewed aircraft testing.

The Guangzhou-based Nasdaq-listed company also carried out the EHang 216's first-ever trial flight in the US earlier this year after receiving its special flight authorization from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Now you know what all the fuss is about.