China-made tonne-class electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft delivered

A Chinese tech startup on Tuesday delivered a tonne-class electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, marking a breakthrough in the application of large eVTOLs.

Developed by the Shanghai-based company AutoFlight, the V2000CG CarryAll boasts a maximum takeoff weight of 2 tonnes.

Following the acquisition of the type certificate and production certificate last year, along with the airworthiness certificate acquired on Monday, the unmanned aircraft will be operated by a Guangzhou-based low-altitude transportation business.

The all-electric V2000CG CarryAll has a payload capacity of up to 400 kilograms with a maximum cruising speed of 200 kilometers per hour and a range of 200 kilometers. It features vertical takeoff and landing capabilities and a fixed-wing cruising design, enabling its applications in low-altitude logistics, emergency response and other fields.

Xie Jia, senior vice president of AutoFlight, said that the aircraft type has so far completed more than 40,000 kilometers of safe flights over various terrains across China and other countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Japan, which helps validate its performance and explore its potential application scenarios.

The eVTOL's delivery comes as China's low-altitude economy is entering a stage of rapid growth. According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China, the market value of the sector will soar from 500 billion yuan (about $70 billion) in 2023 to 1.5 trillion yuan in 2025, and that number could reach an astounding 3.5 trillion yuan by 2035.