EHang Holdings Limited (“EHang” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: EH), a leading global urban air mobility (UAM) technology platform company, announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (“MoU”) with Taiyuan Xishan Ecological Tourism Investment and Construction Co., Ltd. (“Xishan Tourism”) to jointly develop a low-altitude economy in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China. Concurrent with the signing of the MoU, Xishan Tourism has placed a purchase order for 50 of EHang’s EH216-S unmanned electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL) and paid EHang a total contract value of RMB 113 million (US$15.6 million). In turn, Xishan Tourism has signed a planned agreement to purchase an additional 450 EH216-S over the next two years. These aircraft will be deployed in air tourism, passenger transport and other low-altitude use cases, facilitating the adoption and operation of unmanned eVTOLs in northern China.
According to the MoU, EHang and Xishan Tourism will cooperate to develop a low-altitude economic industrial park in Taiyuan, where EHang’s command and control center, marketing and exhibition center, operation center, after-sales service center, research institute, etc. The cooperation aims to establish the largest eVTOL UAM operation base in North China by combining EHang’s leading advantages and expertise in the low-altitude economic field with Xishan Tourism’s abundant cultural and tourism resources.
EHang and Xishan Tourism plan to first build the EH216-S low-altitude tourism demonstration center in Taiyuan’s Xishan and Fenhe scenic areas, and then gradually expand the application scope of unmanned eVTOL to Shanxi and North China regions, stimulating the growth of low-altitude industry in the region.
Shanxi Province has been designated as a national model province for the development of the general aviation industry, and Taiyuan City is one of the national model zones for civil unmanned aviation, boasting a fertile soil for aviation as a favorable environment for the growth of low-altitude economic development.
In April this year, a delegation from Shanxi provincial government visited EHang’s headquarters. During the visit, Jin Xiangjun, Governor of Shanxi Province, highly praised EHang’s pioneering efforts and achievements in the low-altitude economy, saying, “Low-altitude economy represents new productive forces and is a new path for industrial development as well as a new engine for driving economic growth. I hope that EHang’s expertise in the commercialization of low-altitude economy will provide valuable inspiration and reference for Shanxi’s development in this field.”
Zhang Yaozhong, chairman of Xishan Tourism, said: “Xishan Tourism is a modern enterprise that integrates operating infrastructure, industrial investment, operating properties, park development, etc. Since its establishment in 2019, we have adhered to the development philosophy of ‘diversified operation with a focus on both investment and financing’ and actively exploited the strategic potential of the low-altitude economy. Working closely with EHang, under the guidance of the Xishan Demonstration Zone, we are poised to promote the creation of a new low-altitude economic ecosystem and further enrich the use case of ‘low-altitude + cultural tourism’. In the future, we will promote the development of a comprehensive low-altitude economic ecosystem including research and development, manufacturing, operation and services, and strive to establish a flagship low-altitude economic industrial park with national influence.”
Hu Huazhi, Founder, Chairman and CEO of EHang, said, “As the Chinese government continues to support the growth of the low-altitude economy and eVTOL industry, we are leveraging this momentum to further expand our presence in the Chinese market and prepare for commercial UAM operations. We are pleased to secure this large order from Taiyuan and look forward to working with our partners to establish a benchmark for the city’s low-altitude economy and gradually introduce low-altitude use cases in Shanxi province and expand across North China. Our goal is to introduce unmanned eVTOLs to more cities and promote the sustainable growth of China’s low-altitude ecosystem.”
This press release was produced and distributed by EHang.
