New driverless flying taxis unveiled - and they can soar 200km on a single charge

A tech firm developing driverless air taxis has just unveiled a new long-range model that can fly 200km (124 miles) on a single charge. Chin...

A tech firm developing driverless air taxis has just unveiled a new long-range model that can fly 200km (124 miles) on a single charge.

Chinese company EHang has been working on a series of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

And its latest model - the VT35 - marks a major leap forward in range and performance.

The two-seater pilotless craft is fitted with eight lift propellers for vertical take-off and landing, meaning it can fly and land virtually anywhere without the need for a runway.

EHang said: 'With its autonomous flight capability, point-to-point efficiency, and eco-friendly electric propulsion, VT35 is set to play a pivotal role in advancing the low-altitude aerial mobility ecosystem from urban to intercity corridors.

'Following comprehensive preliminary design validation and rigorous R&D debugging, VT35 has successfully completed its transition flight test, achieving a critical step in its technical breakthrough.'

The company's focus with the VT35 is on intercity travel, opening up the possibility of air journeys between cities - or even commuting across the English Channel if launched in the UK - as reported by Luxury Auto News.

EHang founder and CEO Huazhi Hu said: 'As a pioneer in pilotless eVTOL technology, EHang is continuously optimising aircraft performance and expanding applications to offer the public safer, smarter, and more accessible low-altitude transportation solutions for a greener, shared future in global civil aviation.'

The firm is also working to establish 'one-hour air mobility living circles' across China's biggest regions - including the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, and Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei areas - connecting major cities and island clusters.

EHang has announced the official price of the VT35 standard version in China at CN¥6.5 million (£685,978), though a global release date has not yet been confirmed.

It comes after NASA revealed its X-59, a supersonic aircraft that can whizz from London to New York in just four hours, is almost ready to take-off.

The research aircraft is expected to reach speeds of up to 990mph - which is faster than the speed of sound.

Such a quick rate means the vehicle could technically fly from the capital of the UK to New York in around three hours and 44 minutes.

This is astonishingly fast compared to commercial flights that typically take seven to eight hours to complete the transatlantic journey.

It is currently undergoing the final safety tests before it can make its debut flight.

Described as 'quiet', the aircraft's special design means it will make a thump noise instead of a loud sonic boom. 

This is a change from other planes which were so loud they were seen as unsuitable for flying over populated areas.

Instead, X-59 boasts a thin, tapered nose which accounts for almost a third of its length and breaks up the shock waves that usually result in a supersonic aircraft causing a sonic boom. 

The $247.5 million jet has been dubbed the 'Son of Concorde', after a famous aircraft that made a sonic boom when it hit speeds faster than sound.

It is currently being tested in California at the US Air Force Plant 42 and is undergoing safety system evaluations. 

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