The inaugural flight of the eVTOL from Shenzhen to Zhuhai is a success, taking only 20 minutes, experts anticipate significant economic development effects.
Developing low-altitude aviation in Shenzhen, utilizing electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft to travel to Zhuhai, reduces the previous 2.5 to 3-hour ground journey to just 20 minutes.
According to the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily, on Tuesday (the 27th), at 5 p.m., at the Shekou Cruise Homeport in Shenzhen, the Peak Fly “Shengshilong” eVTOL aircraft vertically took off from the landing platform, rose to an altitude of 100 meters, transitioned into fixed-wing flight mode, and sped towards Zhuhai along the established route. Approximately 20 minutes later, the aircraft landed at the Jiuzhou Port in Zhuhai, successfully completing the flight.
Dubbed as the “air taxi,” eVTOL aircraft are a new generation of low-altitude flying vehicles that require no traditional airports or runways. They can vertically take off like helicopters, transition into fixed-wing flight mode in the air, and cruise at high speeds like traditional airplanes.
Compared to helicopters, eVTOL aircraft are purely electric-powered, safe, environmentally friendly, quiet, and comfortable. They can be booked with a single tap on a mobile platform, suitable for point-to-point travel within cities and metropolitan areas.
Furthermore, this inaugural flight marks the world’s first public demonstration flight of a cross-sea and cross-city eVTOL aircraft route, spanning the Pearl River Estuary, connecting two core cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, with a round trip flight distance of over 100 kilometers. Experts predict that in the future, eVTOL aircraft technology will bring more comfortable, efficient, and affordable low-altitude travel options to the Greater Bay Area, along with significant economic development effects.
The “Shengshilong” eVTOL aircraft, developed independently by Peak Fly Aviation, has a maximum takeoff weight of 2,000 kilograms, a maximum payload of 400 kilograms, a maximum range of 250 kilometers, and can carry up to 5 people. Its core modules have achieved 100% localization. Last year, “Shengshilong” set a global record for a 2-ton class eVTOL aircraft, flying 250.3 kilometers on a single charge, and achieved the world’s first formation flight mission of eVTOL aircraft above the tonnage level, with three full-size verification aircraft flying in formation in the same airspace.
Currently, the East Navigation in Shenzhen has reached a strategic cooperation agreement with Peak Fly Aviation to purchase 100 “Shengshilong” aircraft. Next, East Navigation will use Peak Fly’s “Shengshilong” for regular cross-city and cross-bay operations.