The world's first ton - class eVTOL with three certificates has been delivered. Why does China outperform the rest of the world in this technology?

The large-scale commercialization of eVTOL (Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Aircraft)/flying cars is getting closer to us.

On July 22, Fengfei Aviation Technology delivered the world's first ton-class eVTOL V2000CG Keruiou with three airworthiness certificates to Heli Chuangxing Intelligence, which attracted great attention.

Chinese enterprises are at the forefront of the world in terms of airworthiness certification and commercial implementation. Looking forward to the next few years, the eVTOL market will experience explosive growth.

The Commercialization of eVTOL is Approaching

What are the "three airworthiness certificates", and what does it mean for Fengfei Aviation's V2000CG to obtain them?

The "three airworthiness certificates" refer to the Type Certificate (TC), Production Certificate (PC), and Aircraft Certificate of Airworthiness (AC). They are three "safety locks". Only when all three certificates are obtained does it mean that the qualification for mass production is acquired, and it is also a prerequisite for gaining public trust, somewhat similar to the recent 3C certification for power banks. In terms of the difficulty of obtaining the certificates, the order from most difficult to easiest is: TC > PC > AC.

In July this year, the Aircraft Certificate of Airworthiness (AC) for the V2000CG Keruiou was approved by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, passing the last hurdle of initial airworthiness. Previously, this model obtained the Type Certificate (TC) in March 2024 and the Production Certificate (PC) in December 2024. As of now, Fengfei Aviation's 2-ton aircraft has completed over 40,000 kilometers of safe flight.

Before this, another Chinese company, EHang Intelligence's EH216-S (650 kg) had obtained the world's first three certificates, but the V2000CG is the first certified model above the ton level, with higher technical difficulty.

More importantly, the ton-level can bring more application scenarios. The V2000CG Keruiou is independently developed by Fengfei Aviation Technology. It is powered by pure electricity, is unmanned, has a maximum takeoff weight of 2 tons, a maximum commercial load of 400 kg, a maximum cruising speed of 200 kilometers per hour, and an applicable range of 200 kilometers. It combines vertical takeoff and landing and fixed-wing cruising functions, facilitating flexible deployment, and is mainly used for low-altitude logistics, emergency material transportation, and emergency rescue.

The commercialization of eVTOL has always been a hot topic. The reasons for the difficulty in commercialization are threefold: First, eVTOL must meet extremely strict safety standards to complete airworthiness certification; second, there are technical bottlenecks, and there is still room for improvement in key performance indicators such as endurance, flight stability, and noise control; third, the cost is high. From R & D, manufacturing to operation, huge investments are required in each link of the eVTOL industrial chain.

Currently, with the successful completion of airworthiness certification for the freight aircraft Keruiou, Fengfei Aviation will continue to promote the development of manned eVTOL. Fengfei Aviation's 5-seater manned model "Shengshi Long" has entered the airworthiness certification stage and is expected to obtain the certificate within the next 1 - 2 years. In contrast, EHang Intelligence's EH216-S (manned model) has previously obtained airworthiness certification and is promoting commercial operations in places such as Hefei.

Large Orders for eVTOL Keep Emerging

In addition to making progress in eVTOL technology, Fengfei Aviation has also made progress in terms of orders. In June, Fengfei Aviation signed agreements with CITIC Ocean Helicopter and CITIC Financial Leasing. Among them, CITIC Financial Leasing's intention to purchase 100 large eVTOLs attracted much attention. At the same time, the company also received an order for 12 eVTOLs from Hanyang Investment Development Group, with a total amount of 157 million yuan.

It is worth noting that other Chinese eVTOL companies have also been spreading good news recently.

First, XPeng HT's new round of large - scale financing attracted attention. It is understood that XPeng HT officially announced the completion of a $250 million Series B financing, becoming the largest financing in the eVTOL field so far this year. Then, on July 16, news showed that XPeng HT's flying car factory in Huangpu District, Guangzhou, had been capped and is planned to be completed in the fourth quarter of this year. The factory covers an area of about 300 mu and is planned to have four major production workshops, including composite materials, connection, painting, and final assembly, as well as auxiliary facilities. After production, it will be used to produce the aircraft part of the split - type flying car "Land Aircraft Carrier", with a planned annual production capacity of 10,000 units.

Second, the cross - border large order of ShiDe Technology injected a shot in the arm into the industry. On July 16, Shanghai ShiDe Technology Co., Ltd. successfully signed an agreement with UAE enterprise Autocraft. Autocraft boldly purchased 350 E20 eVTOLs, with an order amount as high as $1 billion.

In addition, the largest purchase order for Chinese eVTOL appeared yesterday. Volant Aero signed a tripartite cooperation agreement with Thailand's Pan Pacific Co., Ltd. and China National Aero - Technology International Engineering Corporation. Pan Pacific will purchase 500 VE25 - 100 Tianxing eVTOLs from Volant Aero, with a total order amount of $1.75 billion.

Since May, Volant Aero has also cooperated with financial institutions. BOC Aviation Leasing intends to purchase 100 VE25 eVTOL aircraft from Volant Aero. VFLY and Bank of China Sichuan Branch, BOC Aviation Leasing Co., Ltd. jointly signed an intention to purchase 120 AE200 models. In addition, Volant Aero also signed agreements with BOC Aviation Leasing Co., Ltd., Bank of China Shanghai Minhang and Changning Sub - branches.

Finally, EHang Intelligence has also received many domestic orders recently. On June 20, Jilin Province Aerospace Industry Development Investment Co., Ltd. also purchased 41 aircraft of this model. On June 30, Guizhou Scenic Tourism Development Co., Ltd. ordered 50 EH216 - S from EHang Intelligence.

What is the Technological Progress of eVTOL?

eVTOL itself is actually very complex, and the industrial chain is also complex. The whole aircraft includes six major subsystems: the airframe, integrated avionics system, flight control system, energy system, power system, and electrical system.

However, in recent years, eVTOL has mainly continued to develop around these technologies:

First, in terms of batteries, semi - solid and all - solid - state batteries are constantly making breakthroughs, further improving endurance and safety. Farasis Energy's second - generation semi - solid battery (330Wh/kg) has been used in eVTOL, supporting a range of 200 kilometers and passing extreme safety tests. Sulfide all - solid - state batteries (400 - 500Wh/kg) are expected to be delivered in small batches by the end of 2025, which can significantly improve endurance. EHang Intelligence's solid - state battery test on the EH216 - S equipped with a high - energy solid - state battery (480Wh/kg) achieved a single - flight time of 48 minutes and 10 seconds, a 60% - 90% improvement compared to traditional batteries. In addition, hydrogen and graphene batteries are also constantly breaking through the endurance limit.

Second, flight performance is constantly being optimized. For example, Fengfei Aviation's V2000CG Keruiou uses a "lift + cruise" composite wing design for its maximum takeoff weight, breaking through the takeoff and landing limitations of traditional aircraft and achieving an optimized balance between payload and range; the VX4 prototype of UK's Vertical Aerospace completed the first manned flight of a winged eVTOL aircraft in open airspace in Europe, taking off, flying, and landing like a traditional airplane, with lift generated by the wings.

Third, avionics flight control systems and SVO (Simplified Vehicle Operation) technology are constantly developing towards autonomy and intelligence. The avionics flight control system is the "brain" of eVTOL, solving the three problems of "where it is, where it is going, and how to fly", and can be roughly divided into four modules: power supply, module, control, and drive. SVO gradually achieves fully autonomous flight in stages: SV01 is mainly for current fixed - wing pilots, significantly reducing the learning curve; SV02 is designed for people without flight experience, automatically completing most pre - flight plans and executing route flight instructions; SVO3 achieves fully autonomous operation after a destination is specified.

Fourth, the power density of motors is constantly increasing, and the technology is also constantly being upgraded. The main technologies include flat - wire windings, axial flux, disc motors, material iteration, drive - control integration, etc. Currently, the industry is promoting the development of next - generation permanent - magnet synchronous motors, carbon nanotube wires, efficient heat dissipation, and high - integration technologies. In addition, technologies such as SiC are also constantly promoting the improvement of motor power supply power density, and the 800V high - voltage architecture of automobiles is also being developed for eVTOL.

Fifth, "software - defined aircraft" and unmanned technology are constantly developing. In the future, the key to eVTOL's competition in air traffic includes not only aircraft design and performance but also software technology with AI at its core. At the same time, an efficient digital air traffic management system is needed to support the operation of a large number of unmanned eVTOLs.

China's eVTOL Leads the World

The low - altitude economy has opened up a new trillion - level track, and China is leading the world.

Currently, more than 50 Chinese enterprises have exhibited relevant products, including EHang Intelligence, Fengfei Aviation, XPeng HT, VFLY, Volant Aero, ShiDe Technology, Zero Gravity, Yufeng Future, Tianlingke, GAC Group, EWATT AVIATION, Huayuxianxiang, Lanyia Aviation, Dreaming of Space, Beifei Zhihang, Shangfei Aviation, Muyutian Aviation, Zhihang UAV, Banlan Aviation, Coolblack Technology, Qifei Aviation, Aoshi Technology, Tengxi Aviation, Seagull Flying Car, Tianyi Aviation, Azure Space, Southeast University, Wanfeng Diamond, Xunfei Aviation, Chang'an Flying Car, Hangjing Innovation, AVIC, Kemi Technology, Pengcheng Wanli, Weixin Aerospace, Aoxiang Tianji, Lanxiao Aviation, Jiuwu Zhijia, Yufei Aviation, Qingting Yixing, Chery Automobile, Jianghuai Automobile, Antdog, Harbin Institute of Technology Chongqing Research Institute, Sky Car, New Dimension Aviation, Jiumi Flying, Flying Pie Technology, Tianlu Flying Car, Hongqi, Shenmou Aircraft.

Currently, China's low - altitude economy has shifted from scale expansion to a new stage of "safe and healthy development". As the core carrier, eVTOL shows great potential in the fields of culture and tourism, logistics, and rescue: In terms of culture and tourism, Jiangxi is building the "Ganpo Air Corridor", and EHang Intelligence has opened an air tour route in Wenzhou; in the logistics field, enterprises such as SF Express and Xunyi are accelerating the construction of a low - altitude distribution network; 58 successful cases have been accumulated in rescue applications.

However, the development of eVTOL still faces four major bottlenecks: insufficient public awareness and high experience costs, weak infrastructure and lack of route planning, the need to improve flight performance, and an imperfect regulatory system. It is believed that these bottlenecks will be broken through with the continuous promotion of commercial projects.

References

[1