Thousands of passenger and cargo air taxis could be flying across Hong Kong within a decade as the low-altitude economy takes off, according to one of mainland China’s largest drone makers, which hopes to launch operations in the city.
AutoFlight senior vice-president Kellen Tse told the Post the electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturer plans to significantly expand in Hong Kong, potentially paving the way for its international headquarters in the city.
Backed by CATL, the world’s largest electric vehicle battery maker, the Shanghai-based firm aims to extend its presence across the city to support emerging opportunities in Hong Kong’s nascent flying taxi market.
Tse called Hong Kong a “very, very important key” to AutoFlight’s international growth.
“We are planning [to have] at least more than a dozen to 20 people, maybe by this year,” Tse said. The team would include sales and marketing, business development and government relations, and would continue to grow in the future, he added.
The expansion plan arose from Tse’s vision that thousands of passenger and cargo eVTOL aircraft could be flying across Hong Kong airspace within a decade.
The Hong Kong government is aggressively promoting what it calls the low-altitude economy as part of efforts to boost growth and attract foreign investment.
Applications to join a sandbox – a controlled pilot environment for testing new software or technology – for unconventional aircraft and cross-boundary routes opened on December 1.
The “Regulatory Sandbox X” pilot will enable stakeholders to test unconventional aircraft weighing more than 150kg (330lbs), including eVTOLs, with the aim of validating safety standards for future flights between Hong Kong and the mainland.
Tse envisions a future in which thousands of eVTOL aircraft operate across the Greater Bay Area. “I believe in 10 years’ time there should be a few thousand eVTOLs flying in our skies across the Greater Bay Area,” Tse said.
In Hong Kong alone, there could be thousands of these eVTOLs in operation, he added.
An eVTOL aircraft is powered entirely by electricity, and can hover, take off and land vertically like a helicopter before transitioning to more efficient flight like an aeroplane.
Unlike a traditional drone, it is designed to carry heavy cargo or passengers. Compared with helicopters, it offers a quieter, greener and more cost-effective operation.
AutoFlight’s fleet includes the Prosperity passenger aircraft and the CarryAll cargo model, both powered by electricity.
Prosperity, designed to carry a pilot and five passengers, has a maximum take-off weight of 2,400kg and a commercial range of 200km (124.2 miles).
CarryAll is a fully electric, autonomous cargo eVTOL with a maximum take-off weight of 2,000kg and a payload capacity of 400kg, capable of flying up to 200km on a single charge, making it suitable for logistics and emergency transport.
Tse said AutoFlight had been working closely with the Civil Aviation Department and Transport and Logistics Bureau, taking part in “many of the events they held”.
“The Hong Kong government is very friendly and efficient – they’ve helped us quite a lot,” Tse said.
“That is exactly the purpose of the sandbox project ... to run these sort of trials or experimental flights in a very controlled, very safe way,” he said.
Tse’s view aligns with Hong Kong’s plan to deploy certain passenger eVTOL aircraft within the next two to three years as part of its drive to become a regional hub for the low-altitude economy.
Dominic Chow Wing-hang, the deputy director general of civil aviation, in December said eVTOLs had lower operating costs compared with helicopters of similar safety levels thanks to more efficient energy use and simpler maintenance requirements.
Chow noted that the current range of such aircraft was around 250km, but the next generation could reach up to 1,000km, enabling flights “beyond the Greater Bay Area”.
Discussing the commercial potential of eVTOL operations on the mainland, Tse envisioned offering rides at highly competitive rates once the market matures.
He said that in the long run, when “perhaps a few thousand units [are] flying above our heads”, operators on the mainland could be charging “around one dollar per seat per kilometre”.
He also highlighted the potential for daily commutes across the Greater Bay Area using such aerial vehicles.
“The Greater Bay cities need to be connected by eVTOLs – that is the most ideal way.” -- SOUTH CHIN AMORNING POST
