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CNBC

 By Saheli Roy Choudhury and Eunice Yoon
China’s EHang, which is developing a passenger drone, claims it will become profitable within the next two years, its co-founder told CNBC.
EHang drew worldwide attention last year at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where it showcased a drone that has the capacity to carry a human passenger over short-to-medium distances.
The electricity-powered drone, called EHang 184, can carry up to 220 pounds (100 kilograms) of weight for 25 minutes. It has an average cruising speed of 37 miles per hour (60 kilometers per hour) and has a ceiling of 500 meters above sea level.
The vehicle is being considered as a mode of transport for the future in places like Dubai.
“This EHang 184 product is so unique that we need to put a lot of money in it, and we need to put a lot of engineers,” Derrick Xiong, CEO and co-founder at EHang, told CNBC at the sidelines of the Fortune Global Forum in Guangzhou, China. “We do not make a single profit from that product yet, but all the other product lines are making a profit.”
But the company’s target is to become profitable in the “next two years for sure,” Xiong said.
Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles, started off as cheaper, safer alternatives for manned military aircraft. But their use has broadened. Compact, personal drones that are fitted with cameras have become popular for aerial photography.
The drone market is expected to generate more than US$11.2 billion in revenue by 2020, according to a February prediction from research firm Gartner.
EHang is trying to tap into more commercial applications for drones, according to Xiong. “This year, we (shifted) a lot of the focus from the consumer level to the application, to explore more applications for drones,” he said.
In October, EHang said it will design and build an intelligent drone monitoring and command & control centre for the Shaoguan government to aid in responding to emergencies. Shaoguan is a city in northern Guangdong province in the mainland.
Read the original article at CNBC


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LAS VEGAS, NV - JANUARY 07: Attendees look at an EHang 184 autonomous-flight drone that can fly a person at CES 2016 at the Las Vegas Convention Center on January 7, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 18-foot-long, 440-pound drone has four arms and eight propellers and can fly up to 63 mph for 23 minutes and go about 20 miles. It can carry one passenger who does not need to pilot the drone. Once a destination is entered, only a take off or land button needs to be pushed to travel. The drone takes off and lands vertically eliminating the need for a runway. CES, the world's largest annual consumer technology trade show, runs through January 9 and features 3,600 exhibitors showing off their latest products and services to more than 150,000 attendees. Ethan Miller/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

People crowd around the EHang 184 autonomous aerial vehicle at the EHang booth at CES International, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, in Las Vegas. The drone is large enough to fit a human passenger. (AP Photo/John Locher)

LAS VEGAS, NV - JANUARY 07: An EHang 184 autonomous-flight drone that can fly a person is displayed at CES 2016 at the Las Vegas Convention Center on January 7, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 18-foot-long, 440-pound drone has four arms and eight propellers and can fly up to 63 mph for 23 minutes and go about 20 miles. It can carry one passenger who does not need to pilot the drone. Once a destination is entered, only a take off or land button needs to be pushed to travel. The drone takes off and lands vertically eliminating the need for a runway. CES, the world's largest annual consumer technology trade show, runs through January 9 and features 3,600 exhibitors showing off their latest products and services to more than 150,000 attendees. Ethan Miller/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

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