EHang drone takes off with makers' dream

Derrick Xiong, the co-founder of EHang, demonstrates a Ghost Drone to reporters on a boat on Zhujiang River, Guangzhou, on July 19, 2015. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Ehang's Ghost Drone controlled by a smartphone flies above the Zhujiang River on July 19, 2015. [Photo provided to China Daily]

EHang, a drone start-up established only last year in Guangzhou, is well confident to put its smartphone-controlled drones into use on various fields and transform people's life.

Derrick Xiong (Xiong Yifang), 25-year-old cofounder of Ghost Drone, says during an interview on July 19 that EHang has had a ready plan to transform the transportation sector in the next few years, though he refuses to reveal more on the details.

The interview is part of the "Innovation-Driven Development in Guangdong" New Media Interview Series hosted by Guangdong authorities between July 19 and 25.

EHang, as its Chinese meaning "a hundred million pilots" suggests, seeks to make drones accessible to as many people as possible, says Xiong.

An aerial photo of Zhujiang River taken by camera on EHang's Ghost Drone at the night of July 19, 2015. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The company's founders have been working on the technology behind EHang's drones for around two years when the startup was officially launched in April, 2014. By the end of the same year, the company had raised $10 million, Series A led by GGV Capital, with other cash injections made by Xu Xiaoping and Yang Ning, two of China's most successful angel investors.

"We're excited to be working with EHang, because we love its unique approach to building this technology," said Jenny Lee, managing partner at GGV Capital. "It is leveraging mobile apps and unique features to make drones that are easy for everyone to use."

What makes EHang's drones so easy to use is that they can be controlled by smartphone, and there would be no need of remote. It makes connection, created via a cigarette pack-sized communication device using Bluetooth.

The app was developed by EHang based on digital mapping and navigation with pilots able to direct the machines simply by touching their intended destinations on screen. EHang's selling points lie in the encouraging shift of "made-in-China" to “i"nnovated-in-China", as well as its cutting-edge drones that are "easy for everyone to use". It was rated one of the top 50 innovative Chinese companies in 2014 by Fast Company business magazine of the US. In January, Ghost Drone was hailed one of the top five drones of International CES 2015 held in Las Vegas.

And Derrick Xiong has been newly selected as one of China's "30 under 30" entrepreneur by Forbes.