Dubai introduces electric passenger drone taxi service

China’s intelligent aerial vehicle company Ehang is providing Dubai’s Roads and Transportation Agency with passenger drones for an electric taxi service.

The one-person Ehang 184 drones have completed test flights in Las Vegas and Dubai, with Dubai’s Roads and Transportation Agency planning to introduce a drone taxi service from July 2017. The drones can carry passengers weighing up to 100 kilograms, with one suitcase stored in a separate compartment, and will complete flights with a radius of approximately 40 to 50 kilometers.

Built by China’s intelligent aerial vehicle company Ehang, the drones being used in Dubai are all-electric and will likely travel at a cruising speed of around 100 kilometers an hour. Should anything affect the power supply, each drone has a complete back-up system that allows the flight to be completed. A command center will oversee the flights, with more details on cost and booking arrangements still to come from the transport agency.

As well as passenger transport, drones are delivering medical supplies to remote areas and providing on-demand, personalized streetlights for night journeys. How else could they be incorporated in personal safety products and situations?