Chinese flying car manufacturer EHang has received a production certification (PC) for one of its passenger drones from local regulators, with plans to begin piloting its air taxis in the country’s southern cities of Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Zhuhai later this year. The production approval, issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), is the first of its kind in the global electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle (eVTOL) industry, paving the way for serial production, the company said in an announcement. The news comes months after the Guangzhou-based startup secured an airworthiness “type certificate” from Chinese authorities for its EH216-S model flying taxi. This will help the company get similar certificates for commercial operations in overseas markets in the US, Europe and Southeast Asia, CNBC reported in October citing chief executive Hu Huazhi. China has prioritized the so-called low-altitude economy as a strategic emerging industry and expects the sector to be worth RMB 2 trillion ($278 billion) by 2030 from last year’s RMB 500 billion, according to Han Jun, a deputy head of the CAAC. [EHang announcement]

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