EHang Holdings has unveiled its new long-range electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, the VT35, marking a major step in the company’s vision for autonomous intercity air travel.
The Guangzhou-based air mobility firm showcased the two-seat model in Hefei, where it completed a full transition flight from vertical lift to forward cruise.
Priced at RMB 6.5 million ($913,600), the VT35 is designed for medium- to long-range routes, including cross-sea and cross-mountain journeys.
It builds on the earlier VT30 prototype, combining autonomous flight systems, electric propulsion, and a compact airframe to make intercity aerial travel safer and more efficient.
The VT35 can cruise at 134 mph and cover 125 miles on a single charge. It supports a maximum takeoff weight of 950 kg, including two passengers and their cargo.
The VT35 uses a tandem-wing design with eight distributed lift propellers for vertical take-off and a rear pusher propeller for efficient forward flight.
Measuring around eight meters in both length and wingspan, it remains compact enough to land on rooftops, parking lots, and existing EH216-S vertiports. This compatibility will help accelerate the rollout of urban-to-intercity aerial routes.
Inside, passengers find a leather-upholstered cabin equipped with a touchscreen interface that serves as both dashboard and entertainment hub.
Voice and touch controls allow temperature, seating, and navigation adjustments without the need for manual piloting.
Autonomous systems handle the full flight profile, from takeoff to landing, using sensors for obstacle detection and avoidance. Redundant systems ensure reliability and operational safety.
The aircraft’s electric propulsion makes it both quiet and eco-friendly, ideal for densely populated areas.
Certification and local testing
In March 2025, the Civil Aviation Administration of China accepted EHang’s type certificate application for the VT35.
The aircraft is now undergoing internal testing and airworthiness evaluations. EHang is leveraging its experience from certifying the EH216-S, which already operates commercial flights in China, to streamline the approval process.
The company plans to use the VT35 to establish one-hour air mobility networks across major economic zones, including the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, and Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei regions.
These routes could cut current two-hour drives between cities to under 30 minutes by air.
At its launch in Hefei, the VT35 performed its first complete transition flight over Luogang Park, where local lawmakers and industry representatives attended.
The event marked an important milestone in developing low-altitude transportation for regional travel.
Expanding into tilt-rotor innovation
EHang plans to build on the VT35 platform with future tilt-rotor variants, allowing greater range and operational flexibility.
When integrated with the EH216-S fleet for shorter flights, the VT35 could anchor a scalable low-altitude transportation network connecting city centers directly.
The aircraft’s interoperability with existing vertiport infrastructure, combined with its autonomous capabilities, is expected to create an air mobility ecosystem that functions much like car-sharing services, automated, efficient, and widely accessible.
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