The Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED) and the Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems (NIAS) have signed an agreement with Ehang, an aerial technology company with headquarters in Guangzhou, China. The testing will take place at an FAA-approved test site, one of six drone-testing locations in the United States.
Testing is expected to begin in 2016.
The single-seat electric drone, named 184, is designed to transport people short to medium distances. It can fly at altitudes up to 11,500 feet at up to 63 mph for up to 23 minutes using eight propellers on four arms.
The passenger enters the destination on a touchscreen and after hitting a button to take off, the autonomous flight system would take care of navigating the flight path and communicating with air traffic control systems.
A prototype was shown off at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, with the company hoping to sell the drones later this year.
