Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Since the beginning of this year there have been preorders for 210 units of the China-made EHang 216 eVTOL, all of them from Asian nations.
The process kicked off in January when Japanese air mobility digital platform company AirX put in a preorder for 50 units of the EHang 216, aiming to have them delivered in time for the 2025 World Expo in Osaka.
Since then, EHang has added preorders of 60 units from Aerotree Flight Services of Malaysia, and then its largest-ever preorder, 100 units from Prestige Aviation of Indonesia.
In addition, EHang formed a strategic partnership in May with Charoen Pokphand Group, one of the largest conglomerates in Thailand, aiming to establish an eVTOL joint venture in the country.
In an investor earnings call conducted this week, Chief Operating Officer Fang Xin specified that these “preorders in Asia are expected to be delivered in about three years, subject to customer needs.” The precise timing also depends on when each country’s regulators approve the EHang 216 to begin passenger flights.
Company executives confirmed that five units of the EHang 216 have already been delivered to its Chinese customer Tianxingjian Cultural Tourism Investment and Development in connection with the scenic flight project at the Aizhai Wonder Tourist Area in Jishou city, Hunan Province, and that trial operations have begun at that location. This customer plans to buy additional 25 units as the project progresses.
Guangzhou-based EHang was the first eVTOL company to list on a stock market, the Nasdaq in New York.
In its April-June quarterly financial report, issued this week, the company recorded total revenues of US$2.2 million and an operating loss of US$11.1 million.
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