Chinese eVTOL maker, AutoFlight, announced Friday that it completed what it described as China’s first dedicated spring tea delivery trial using a 2-ton-class eVTOL aircraft. The company said the flight used a CarryAll (V2000CG), an autonomous, unmanned cargo aircraft, to move fresh tea between Anshun and Guiyang in Guizhou Province.
The flight covered about 120 kilometers in 37 minutes. AutoFlight said the route crossed mountainous terrain where road transportation typically takes considerably longer.
Following the flight, the tea shipment continued by high-speed rail from Guiyang to Shanghai, part of what AutoFlight said was an “eVTOL + high-speed rail” logistics model intended to move perishable goods from remote growing regions to major markets within 24 hours. The company said the aircraft’s vertical takeoff and landing capability allows point-to-point transport without a runway, and that the all-electric aircraft operates without an onboard pilot.
According to AutoFlight, the CarryAll’s maximum payload stands at 400 kilograms, with a maximum range of up to 200 kilometers and a cruise speed of about 180 km/h.
“This innovative ‘autonomous eVTOL air transfer + high-speed rail trunk line’ model breaks logistics bottlenecks in high-altitude mountainous areas,” AutoFlight Chief Commercial Officer Li Yun said.
Li added that the company plans to expand the cargo model to additional agricultural regions. The CarryAll has received type, production and airworthiness certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). Its six-seat passenger eVTOL, the V2000EM Prosperity, is currently in Phase IV compliance verification as part of the CAAC certification process.
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