AutoFlight has successfully completed China’s first 2-ton-class eVTOL dedicated spring tea transport trial in Guizhou, a mountainous province in western China.
The trial deployed AutoFlight’s CarryAll (V2000CG) – a fully autonomous, unmanned eVTOL aircraft – to transport fresh spring tea between Anshun and Guiyang, two Guizhou cities approximately 120km apart. The unmanned flight crossed rugged mountain terrain in just 37 minutes, a significant improvement over road transportation in the region.
Following the eVTOL air transfer, the fresh tea was transported via high-speed rail for long-haul delivery from Guiyang to Shanghai, covering a distance of nearly 2,000 kilometres. The integrated “eVTOL + high-speed rail” model enabled same-day delivery, bringing freshly picked tea from remote western mountain plantations to consumers in major eastern cities within 24 hours.
Core Advantages of the Autonomous eVTOL Solution:
- Autonomous Flight Capability: No onboard pilot needed, enhancing safety and operational efficiency for cargo transport.
- High-Speed Performance: 37 minutes for the 120km mountain crossing, cutting transit time by hours compared to traditional ground transport.
- Eco-Friendly: All-electric powered, zero operational emissions and low noise, aligning with sustainable development goals.
- High Flexibility: Vertical take-off and landing capability, no runway required for point-to-point direct delivery.
About the AutoFlight CarryAll (V2000CG)
The CarryAll (V2000CG) is the world’s first 2-ton-class eVTOL aircraft to obtain Type Certificate (TC), Production Certificate (PC) and Airworthiness Certificate (AC) from the Civil Aviation Administration of China. As a fully autonomous unmanned cargo aircraft, it boasts exceptional performance for a wide range of logistics scenarios:
- Maximum payload: 400kg.
- Maximum range: up to 200km.
- Cruise speed: approximately 180km/h.
Li Yun, CCO of AutoFlight, said: “This innovative ‘autonomous eVTOL air transfer + high-speed rail trunk line’ model breaks logistics bottlenecks in high-altitude mountainous areas. AutoFlight will join hands with more partners to extend this efficient, green autonomous cargo model to more speciality agricultural producing areas. This will help more high-quality local agricultural products reach national markets quickly, driving regional industrial upgrading and rural revitalisation.”
AutoFlight’s cargo eVTOL models have conducted flight operations in real-world scenarios, including offshore oil platforms, intercity agricultural product transportation, and emergency fire-fighting, collaborating with global customers to advance the commercialisation process of eVTOL. In addition, its 6-seat passenger eVTOL model V2000EM Prosperity is currently undergoing civil aviation airworthiness certification by the CAAC and has entered the Phase IV compliance verification stage.
