Photo/AutoFlight Website

March 3 (NBD) -- AutoFlight, a Chinese electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developer, announced on Thursday that it accomplished the world's longest eVTOL flight ever with a distance of 250.3 KM on a single charge.

It is noticed that the previous longest flight for an eVTOL was 248.8 km set by Joby Aviation, another eVTOL company based in California, the United States, in 2021.

With a maximum takeoff weight of 2 tons, the Gen4 design of its “Prosperity I” aircraft is an electric five-seater, which can fly autonomously with a maximum cruising speed of over 200 kilometers per hour.

The flight, which took place at AutoFlight's eVTOL testing facility in Jining, Shandong province, on Feb 23, consisted of 20 laps on a predetermined route, remotely piloted by a team on the ground. The company also shared the complete flight stages of vertical takeoff, forward transition, fixed-wing cruising, reverse transition and vertical landing.

"This flight is a remarkable achievement that shows our aircraft's capability, and we are excited to continue working toward our next goals all the way to EASA certification in 2025," said AutoFlight President Omer Bar-Yohay.

As an eVTOL, it does require fixed facilities such as airports and runways. Compared with helicopters, it is quieter, safer, more economical and more environmentally friendly.

Data shows that more than 14 million people in China are struggling with extremely long commuting times (more than 60 minutes one-way).

In the future, it may help to ease congestion, reducing a 1-2 hour trip (during peak hours) to 15-20 minutes. Besides, it can be widely used in intercity travel scenarios and emergency transfers, such as organ transplants.