Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On December 27, EHang, a Chinese urban air mobility (UAM) technology platform company, announced the signing of a project cooperation agreement with the Management Committee of Shandong province's Weihai Torch High-tech Industrial Development Zone (Weihai High-Tech Zone) to establish a comprehensive industrial partnership in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) domain.
Under the cooperation, EHang has signed a procurement agreement with Weihai High-Tech Zone Cultural Tourism Industry Investment Co., Ltd. for the initial batch of 30 units of EH216-S unmanned passenger-carrying electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircrafts, with full payment for the order already received.
As per the agreement, the duo will join hands to establish an R&D and manufacturing base for unmanned passenger-carrying eVTOL aircraft in Shandong province, serving as the headquarters for EHang's smart UAV production in the province. Additionally, the partners will develop a low-altitude economy industrial park in the region, fostering the integrated growth of the local low-altitude economy and cultural tourism sectors and accelerating the clustering of low-altitude industries.
In the realm of commercial operations, both parties plan to create an aerial tourism experience product that combines scenic sightseeing with technological interactions. They intend to launch comprehensive low-altitude tourism flight routes within the zone, integrating the low-altitude economy with local scenic spots, high-end hotels, commercial districts, leisure parks, and camping businesses. This initiative aims to create model applications such as passenger sightseeing and low-altitude transport while advancing the "low-altitude economy + cultural tourism consumption" concept.
The duo plans to pioneer low-altitude sightseeing projects at local tourist attractions and support the local operator in areas such as personnel training, infrastructure planing, route planning, and trial flights. They will also prepare to apply for air operator certificate, expediting the commercial deployment of EH216-S in Weihai High-Tech Zone. The zone will provide support in favorable policies, application scenarios, manufacturing bases, and low-altitude infrastructure.
In November this year, Shandong province issued the "Three-year Action Plan for High-Quality Development of Low-altitude Economy (2025-2027)," aiming to establish 400 digital low-altitude aircraft takeoff and landing platforms, over 10 benchmark low-altitude economy application scenarios, and more than 50 intra-city unmanned aerial vehicle flight routes. The plan also aims to achieve commercial flights of manned autonomous aircraft and reach a low-altitude economy scale of 100 billion yuan by 2027.
