China’s AutoFlight currently holds the world record for the longest eVTOL flight with a record of 155.7 miles (250.6 km), set in 2023 in the dramatic Prosperity air taxi designed by former McLaren and Lilium draft king Frank Stephenson. Now, its robust battery and range-maximizing technology is set to receive a major boost, with the company signing a partnership agreement with global battery leader CATL, which has launched some of the market’s most energy-dense battery offerings. That 155-mile feat is sure to be eclipsed by whatever the heavy-hitting duo come up with in the future.
AutoFlight announced this month that it has signed an exclusive investment and collaboration agreement that will see them partner on joint research and development of aviation-grade battery technology. The agreement will also see CATL invest hundreds of millions of dollars in AutoFlight.
This is huge news, and it’s hard to imagine another two-company collaboration making such a splash in the eVTOL space. Not only is CATL the world’s largest battery manufacturer and a supplier to major automakers around the world, including Tesla, BMW, and Toyota, it also develops some of the world’s most energy-dense batteries, including a 500-Wh/kg dense battery aimed at the eVTOL market.
In July, CATL announced that it had test-flown a 4-ton aircraft using the battery. Even more impressive, ChinaDaily CATL reportedly believed at the time that its battery technology could support a currently inconceivable range of 2,000 to 3,000 km (1,240 to 1,865 miles) in an 8-ton electric aircraft within a few years.
Automatic Flight
By partnering with AutoFlight, CATL is officially establishing its presence in the eVTOL market, where long-range battery capability could be particularly disruptive, and is investing serious money in a very promising horse.
In three short years, we’ve seen AutoFlight transition from drones to air taxis with its first prototype in 2021, bring on a world-renowned vehicle design chief in Stephenson to evolve the design into the impressive Prosperity passenger eVTOL, rapidly achieve a transition flight with the Prosperity I proof-of-concept, and rapidly achieve additional milestones like the 155-mile distance record and “the world’s first intercity air taxi flight.”
Automatic Flight
AutoFlight also received type certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) for its CarryAll cargo aircraft earlier this year, claiming a world first for a one-tonne class eVTOL. It has since applied for type certification for its five-seat Prosperity eVTOL taxi.
In its current form, Prosperity is designed around a single pilot and four passengers to carry a payload of up to 400 kg (880 lb), relying on 10 lift propellers and three push propellers powered by a 160 kWh battery. It has a top speed of 200 km/h (124 mph) along with a range of 250 km.
Last week, Prosperity successfully completed a test flight over the Yangtze River in Nanjing, China. Demonstrating the absolute FOMO-inducing, traffic-stopping potential of eVTOL technology in general, the flight turned a 25-minute, 20 km (12.4 mi) ride across the bridge directly into a five-minute, 5.5 km (3.4 mi) lift-off and cruise experience.
Automatic Flight
AutoFlight and CATL plan to pool resources and technical expertise to increase the energy density and overall performance of eVTOL batteries to support longer flight distances and higher payloads in the future. The additional funding will also enable the Prosperity air taxi to accelerate further R&D and airworthiness certification.
Source: AutoFlight