Shanghai-developed 'air taxi' bags 230m yuan contract at CIIE

Credit: Dong Jun / SHINE

Caption: The M1 eVTOL has a wingspan of 15 meters and is 3 meters high.

An electric vertical take-off and landing, or eVTOL, aircraft, which will be used as an "air taxi" in the future, made its debut at the 6th China International Import Expo, gaining a contract valued at 230 million yuan (US$31.5 million).

The two-ton and 15-meter wingspan eVTOL, often called an "air taxi," represents a future transportation mode in the face of challenges like traffic jams and carbon emissions.

It's noteworthy that the eVTOL device, Matrix 1 (M1), arrived at the CIIE just after its first trial flight in Shanghai in October, according to its manufacturer Vertaxi, a Shanghai-based startup.

Both Vertaxi, and its partner, the United States-based Ampaire, are attending the CIIE for the first time.

At their booth, the two firms signed a memorandum of understanding with Longhao Airlines, a China-based cargo airline. Longhao intends to purchase 15 M1 and five M1H, a future model co-developed by Vertaxi and Ampaire, as well as related guarantee services, with a total value of 230 million yuan.

Credit: Dong Jun / SHINE

Caption: The "air taxi" booth at the 6th China International Import Expo is crowded with visitors and media.

The "air taxi" service, for human passengers, will start operation in China around 2025. Before that, the eVTOL aircraft can be used during disaster emergencies and for cargo service, such as delivering fresh seafood from an island to nearby cities, industry insiders said at the booth.

The M1 eVTOL has a wingspan of 15 meters and is 3 meters high. Using green and environment-friendly pure electric power, it has a designed range of 250 kilometers, can carry a maximum load of 500 kilograms, and is able to accommodate five people.

Compared with helicopters and other models, it is said to be safer, with lower manufacturing and operating costs, green and noiseless, and is suitable for large-scale popularization. In the future, it will be mainly used to solve the needs of short-distance air travel within and between cities. With the "air taxi," the distance that used to take two to three hours by car will only take around 30 minutes.