EHang unveils VT35: China’s autonomous eVTOL expands into regional air mobility
October 14, 2025
EHang Holdings has launched its long-range pilotless eVTOL aircraft, the VT35, marking a significant evolution in the company’s vision for air mobility. Designed to link major Chinese city clusters within a “one-hour flight zone,” the VT35 extends EHang’s reach beyond the short-hop urban missions of its EH216-S air taxi and into the medium-range intercity market.
EHang VT35 builds on EH216-S success to expand China’s eVTOL network
EHang’s EH216-S has already proven its airworthiness and commercial potential. It was the first pilotless passenger eVTOL to receive full type, production, and standard airworthiness certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), and it has since entered trial commercial service in several cities.
Operators have begun ticketed flights for tourism and short-distance travel, with dozens of EH216-S units delivered across China.
With that platform now established, the VT35 becomes the logical next step: a longer-leg companion designed to connect cities rather than just neighbourhoods. EHang envisions a multi-tiered ecosystem in which the EH216-S handles short urban hops, while the VT35 opens up cross-sea, cross-mountain, and intercity corridors within a roughly 200-kilometre range.
The VT35 uses a tandem-wing layout and a two-seat configuration, combining eight distributed lift propellers for vertical take-off and landing with a single pusher propeller and fixed wings for forward cruise. Key specifications include:
- Range: approximately 200 kilometres
- Cruise speed: around 216 kilometres per hour
- Maximum take-off weight: 950 kilograms
- Useful payload: around 200 kilograms
At about eight metres in length and wingspan and three metres in height, the VT35 is compact enough to share vertiports and infrastructure with the EH216-S, enabling operators to expand into regional routes without duplicating ground facilities.
EHang VT35 certification progress and CAAC regulatory pathway
The CAAC accepted EHang’s type certification application for the VT35 in March 2025, with internal flight testing and design validation now underway. EHang is drawing heavily on its certification experience with the EH216-S to accelerate progress on the new model.
However, accepting a certification application is an early step rather than an approval. The process still requires detailed testing and validation to ensure that the aircraft’s autonomous systems meet airworthiness and operational safety standards. Commercial intercity operations will also depend on the issuing of Air Operator Certificates for autonomous flights, a more complex regulatory challenge than urban sightseeing routes.
EHang’s strategy hinges on interoperability. The VT35 has been designed to use the same vertiports, charging systems, and fleet management software as the EH216-S, creating a unified operational ecosystem. This approach makes infrastructure investment more efficient and helps integrate short- and medium-range services.
That said, regional operations will introduce new variables. Longer flights require higher energy capacity, faster charging or battery-swap solutions, and more robust ground support at remote vertiports. Weather, terrain, and cross-sea conditions will demand resilient flight-planning systems, advanced obstacle-avoidance sensors, and contingency options for emergency landings.
EHang says the VT35 incorporates full redundancy and obstacle-detection systems to mitigate these risks, but operational data will ultimately prove their effectiveness.
EHang VT35 commercial rollout and China air mobility market strategy
Priced at RMB 6.5 million (about USD 913,000), the VT35 is aimed at both private and public operators seeking to expand beyond city limits. Early buyers include a Hefei government-backed platform company, which has already placed procurement orders.
The launch coincides with the development of a new production hub in Hefei, established under an August 2025 investment agreement between EHang and the city government. Hefei has positioned itself as a low-altitude economy hub, supporting air mobility research, testing, and commercial deployment.
EHang has also signed partnership agreements with Zhejiang Zhiyi UAV Technology and Hainan Fuma General Aviation to promote and operate the VT35, signalling the start of a coordinated rollout strategy.
Last month, EHang debuted its electric air taxi in Africa, showcasing capabilities that could be transformational for the continent. And in early 2025, it performed the first urban flight of a pilotless eVTOL in Europe as part of the European Union’s U-ELCOME (U-Space European Common Deployment) project.
Challenges and opportunities for China’s low-altitude air mobility network
The VT35 underscores EHang’s ambition to lead China’s emerging low-altitude air mobility sector by creating an integrated network of autonomous aircraft. Together, the EH216-S and VT35 could form a seamless transport ecosystem spanning urban and regional routes.
Yet challenges remain. The real-world range of 200 kilometres will depend on payload, weather, and reserve energy margins. Certification for autonomous intercity flight remains unproven, and the pace of infrastructure build-out will determine how quickly operations can scale.
Even so, EHang has an advantage few competitors can claim: a certified, operational, and revenue-earning platform in the EH216-S. If it can replicate that success with the VT35, the company could become one of the first to deliver a fully autonomous, multi-range air mobility network.
