Aerofugia, the electric aviation brand under Geely Group, is accelerating the certification process for its self-developed strategic product, the AE200 electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL). In early August, Aerofugia successfully obtained Design Assurance System (DAS) approval from the Southwest Regional Administration of Civil Aviation in China, becoming the first manned eVTOL DAS to be approved in the country.
The AE200 features a black and white fuselage with a wingspan of 14.5 meters, a height of 4.6 meters, and a length of 9 meters. The standard cabin can accommodate one pilot and four passengers, with a range of 200 kilometers, capable of covering most urban and intercity travel needs.
According to China Star Market, as a strategic in-house eVTOL product of Aerofugia, AE200 has been anchored to the safety standards of large civil aircraft such as C919, Boeing, and Airbus from the beginning. Therefore, when developing AE200, the most challenging technical route, "tilt-rotor," was chosen from the start.
"Tilt-rotor" refers to propellers that can tilt 90 degrees, providing different directional thrust to the aircraft when needed, and can also serve as an alternative power source in dangerous flight conditions and single-engine failure scenarios. "Tilt-rotor" is the most difficult of the three types of wings for eVTOL (multi-rotor, compound rotor, tilt-rotor), but it has the most advantages in terms of cruising range, flying speed, load capacity, and comfort.
In addition, considering the market acceptance, operational difficulty, and the entire industry chain logic, AE200 is equipped with a "1+4" cabin standard system, which is one pilot and four passengers. The standard "1+4" cabin system can improve passengers' psychological safety in practical applications. In emergencies, the pilot can communicate with the eVTOL's "tower," the operation command center, to ensure flight safety.
Aerofugia CEO and Chief Scientist Guo Liang stated that, given the current complex environment of low-altitude flight, manned operation is the fastest choice for eVTOL to realize commercial application, and technically, it can also be compatible with future high-autonomy operations. Guo Liang also added, "eVTOL unmanned operation is the future development direction, but we still have a way to go before true unmanned operation."
Moreover, the current "1+4" cabin design system and standard configuration also help promote and popularize the "flying taxi" mode of travel, making it convenient for people to carpool, thereby further reducing the company's operating costs and passengers' travel costs. Future eVTOL cabins, due to their inherently low noise during flight, can also be equipped with sound systems, refrigerators, and televisions, just like today's electric cars, to create an equally comfortable travel experience.
The commercialization of eVTOL will gradually be applied to the airspace above densely populated areas, carrying out high-density passenger commercial aviation transport, as well as emergency rescue, low-altitude business travel, and other services. According to Fei Lan, the marketing director of Aerofugia, the future low-altitude travel scenario is described as: through air express lines, setting fixed take-off and landing points and flight schedules, to achieve point-to-point air direct access within the city area; or in the mode of air taxis, consumers can enter the destination on the APP to book a "flying" car; even under the premise of scientifically planned site lines, in conjunction with ground transportation and air traffic, to achieve "air-land-integrated" seamless connection.
Fei Lan believes that after 2030, as eVTOL gradually achieves industrial scale, the price of "flying" will drop to 2-3 times that of a taxi, becoming a beneficial travel tool for air commuting, business shuttle, and logistics transportation, and ‘not just a service that a few people can enjoy’.
Facing the future trillion-scale low-altitude economy market, Aerofugia has made early key layouts in low-altitude travel, business aviation, and low-altitude cultural tourism. In July 2023, Aerofugia signed a purchase agreement with Sino Jet for the first batch of 100 AE200s, marking the first cooperation between domestic eVTOL and business aviation.
AE200 is expected to pass airworthiness certification and obtain the TC (Type Certificate) in 2026, and then enter the commercial application and mass production phase. After the production of the Chengdu Global Headquarters and manufacturing base project, Aerofugia is expected to produce 40-50 eVTOLs annually.
Due to the high degree of overlap between the eVTOL and electric car industry chains, Aerofugia is currently mainly working with the internal supply chain subsidiaries in Geely Group such as the battery companies, motor and electric control companies, raw materials, and other relevant production bases. It is reported that AE200 currently uses semi-solid-state batteries. The rapid development of all-solid-state batteries will become an important driving force for the eVTOL industry to move forward.
Since its establishment in 2020, Aerofugia has completed three rounds of market-oriented financing, attracting the favor of top investment institutions such as T-Capital, CASSTAR, and Orinno Capital, CDAC Capital with each round of financing exceeding one hundred million yuan.
