Artist’s conception of Italian vertiports with arriving EH 216,
EHang Holdings Limited, a Chinese provider of autonomous aerial vehicles (AAVs), has partnered with Italian architecture firm Giancarlo Zema Design Group on a project to build an eco-sustainable vertiport in Italy. The vertiport will use green design and construction materials, and can generate energy to recharge the EH216 passenger-grade AAVs.
EHang EH216 test flight in February 2021. All photos courtesy EHang.
EHang recently successfully completed the first trial flights of its two-passenger EH216 over the South China Sea. The approximately 10-mile (16 km) flights from Hengqin New District arrived at Dong Ao Island, a popular tourist destination.
Vertiports will play a significant role in the urban air mobility (UAM) market and the new era of flight. When integrated into the existing transportation infrastructure, vertiports can serve as aerial hubs for tourists.
Inspired by the native African baobab tree, GZDG’s design features a 30-meter-high tower, with a steel and laminated wood structure, a waiting room, a café, a 200-square-meter panoramic restaurant and connecting lift. The take off-and-landing platform will be set on the roof terrace. The vertiport is built with non-slip photovoltaic panels that can generate over 300 KW of electric power per day. The platform will have fully independent plug-and-play charging infrastructures that can be used to recharge EHang’s electric AAVs.
EHang and GZDG have multiple projects planned in Europe and Southeast Asia.
EHang EH216 statistics.
