China's advances in the low-altitude economy became manifest as the first domestically developed engine specifically for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft rolled off the production line.

The AEE25 aviation electric engine was made and delivered in Wuxi, east China's Jiangsu Province, on Thursday, setting a national record for torque density, meaning a lighter engine that allows the aircraft to carry more passengers or cargo. 

The achievement marks a major breakthrough in key aviation electric propulsion technologies, with the engine’s performance reaching internationally advanced levels.

The AEE25 converts electrical energy from onboard batteries into lift and thrust for rotor systems. The engine has achieved a torque density of 40 newton-meters per kilogram, the highest among China's publicly disclosed 200-kW-class aviation electric engines,  according to the Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC).

According to Zhang Yu, head of the AEE25 project at the AECC institute, the engine is suitable for mainstream eVTOL aircraft weighing between two and three tonnes and capable of carrying four to six passengers, reported by stdaily.com.

"A higher torque density means a lighter engine for the same power output, allowing aircraft designers to allocate more weight to passengers, payloads or additional systems," Zhang said.

He noted that, under the same power and weight conditions, the AEE25 can deliver greater torque output than comparable domestic products, enabling rotors to generate stronger lift and thrust. The engine's torque density is expected to increase further to 44 newton-meters per kilogram in future upgrades.

The AEE25 will be installed on the E20 eVTOL aircraft developed by Shanghai TCab Technology Co., Ltd. (TCab Tech). The engine has also entered the airworthiness certification process alongside the aircraft program.

In recent years, the AECC institute has focused on electric motor and control technologies for aviation applications. To support the development of China's low-altitude economy, it established a dedicated electric propulsion business unit and has accelerated technology commercialization through market-oriented mechanisms.

The institute said several aviation electric propulsion products developed in-house have achieved key technological breakthroughs and are now capable of entering scaled production.

Huang Yongwei, founder and chief executive officer of TCab Tech, said cooperation with the AECC institute had not only overcome critical technological bottlenecks in aviation electric engines, but also established an efficient collaborative research and development model that would support the localization and high-end development of China's eVTOL industry.

Liu Guoping, deputy director of the AECC institute, said the organization would continue advancing key technology research and engineering validation efforts to meet the growing demand for low-altitude economic applications, electric aircraft and next-generation propulsion systems.

"We will provide more efficient, reliable and lightweight aviation electric engines for emerging aircraft platforms such as eVTOLs," Liu said.