Chinese company to test world's first single-passenger drone in US

The world’s first passenger drone, the Ehang 184, capable of autonomously carrying a person in the air for 23 minutes has received necessary approval from Nevada's governor's office needed to develop and be tested at the state's Federal Aviation Administration-approved drone test site. 

The Chinese firm Ehang, which unveiled the electric Ehang 184 passenger drone at CES in Las Vegas in January, says the Ehang 184 Autonomous Aerial Vehicle (AAV) is a 142-horsepower “personal flying vehicle” that can transport a single human being from Point A to Point B at an altitude of more than 11,000 feet.

The southern China's Guangzhou-based company has partnered with the Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems (NIAS) and the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) to put the drone through testing and regulatory approval.

“I personally look forward to the day when drone taxis are part of Nevada’s transportation system,” said Wilczek, Goed’s aerospace and defense specialist.

The Ehang 184 has a span of 18 feet when fully unfolded, weighs 440 lbs, and can carry a passenger weighing up to 264 pounds. Its maximum flying altitude is 11,480 feet, and the AAV can fly for as long as 23 minutes when at sea level.

It can be controlled entirely through a mobile app. The name of the vehicle makes reference of its features and abilities able to carry one passenger with eight propellers and four arms.