EHang Holdings signs urban air mobility pilot program in Spain

EHang Holdings Limited, the world's leading autonomous aerial vehicle technology platform company, announced on Monday that the company had entered into a cooperation agreement with the city government of Seville, Spain to conduct the country's first urban air mobility pilot program.

According to the agreement, EHang will work with the Seville government to develop urban air mobility, including passenger transportation, air logistics, and command and control platforms in the city.

The city also will collaborate on applications for permission to conduct test flights, in accordance with Spanish and European legislation, and will coordinate with EHang in the planning of flight routes.

Furthermore, EHang will perform an aerial light show to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Ferdinand Magellan's voyage around the world, which started in Seville.

"Establishing the partnership with EHang is a great opportunity for Seville. Our city has a rich legacy in European aviation, which we believe can promote EHang's AAV tests, operations, and permitting applications both in Spain and Europe," said Seville Mayor Juan Espadas Cejas.

"Seville has developed a rich culture over its 2,000 years of history, so we are delighted to collaborate with the Seville government to bring new UAM technology to this ancient city," said Hu Huazhi, the founder, chairman and CEO of EHang.

There are many old, narrow paths in the old town of Seville, which are inaccessible to automobiles, according to Hu.

"We believe our AAV can be a great solution for the city to relieve traffic congestion and better preserve historic sectors. Furthermore, as a popular tourist city, we hope to open up flying routes for sightseeing so that visitors from around the world can experience the spectacular cityscape of Seville by air," said Hu.

According to the European Commission's urban mobility report, over 60 percent of European citizens live in urban areas of over 10,000 inhabitants, and they are facing traffic congestion and air pollution.

As a frontrunner in UAM development in Spain, Seville joined the UAM Initiative Cities Community launched in 2017 by the EU's EIP-SCC (European Innovation Partnership on Smart Cities and Communities) project to promote the transformation of urban three-dimensional transportation.

In recent years, UAM has emerged as an efficient and eco-friendly solution for urban transport.

"As a pioneer and leader in the field of UAM, EHang is driving the development of a global UAM industry. We will continue to establish more UAM pilot program cities around the world," Hu said.