China’s 10-passenger electric aircraft, the Matrix, hints at how big flying taxis can be
KUNSHAN, China (AP) — A glimpse of what the future of flying taxis might look like can be seen in this southeastern Chinese city.
In a hangar in Kunshan, 60 kilometers (about 37 miles) west of Shanghai port, a giant drone of some kind was preparing for a demonstration. This 5-ton electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle, or eVTOL, called Matrix, is considered the largest electric aircraft ever built, at least in China.
Founded in 2017, the Chinese company AutoFlight developed Matrix, which can carry up to 10 passengers. It has a wingspan of 20 meters (about 66 feet) and is 17.1 meters long and 3.3 meters high. (56 feet long and 11 feet high). It can travel for an hour without recharging.
The idea is that it could eventually become a flying taxi, although the industry and experts think it will take some time.
On a recent chilly afternoon, AutoFlight conducted a flight demonstration for the Associated Press at its low-altitude flight test facility.
Personnel moved the Matrix from the hangar to the helipad.
eVTOL was ready: The propellers deployed and after a few minutes of checking to make sure everything was working, it began to rise. It was noisy, but less than a helicopter. About 10 minutes later, after two laps around the helipad, the Matrix returned and landed smoothly.
When will flying taxis become a reality? A few years? More?
“That’s a good question, but it’s a very difficult question for me to answer,” said Steven Yang, senior vice president of AutoFlight.
The company already has a 2-tonne passenger eVTOL version but is awaiting the necessary certifications.
Yang said AutoFlight hopes to receive type certification from regulators by 2027, which means authorities will verify that the aircraft design complies with safety standards. However, other regulatory approvals will also need to be obtained for the operator certificate that allows the aircraft to carry passengers.
The Matrix is still a prototype.
Several other companies in China also produce eVTOL aircraft. EHANG in Guangdong province has already been certified by authorities to offer commercial passenger services. This has not happened yet. Apart from permits, flying taxis are not yet flying in the skies because they need the facilities to support them.
As part of what is known as the “low-altitude economy”, the use of drones for food delivery is already a reality, such as in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.
Gary Ng, senior economist at Natixis Corporate and Investment Banking, has followed the development of the sector. He said China must overcome several hurdles, including guaranteeing security, building the necessary infrastructure and sorting out logistics such as routing.
“This whole ecosystem surrounding technology is also still underdeveloped at this point,” he said. “I would say it will take at least another three years to see something more habitable.”
It seems possible to see such planes in the sky while watching the Matrix show. So can we really foresee a future with electric flying planes?
“We really believe this will happen,” Yang said. “But it’s not (just) AutoFlight’s job, it’s the entire ecosystem’s job,” he added.
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Associated Press writer Kanis Leung contributed from Hong Kong.
