Kathmandu, 20 Aug: The annual ‘NADA Auto Show’ held in Kathmandu before Dashain is always in the news for its display of new and attractive vehicles. The flying taxi, which caught everyone’s attention at the 17th NADA exhibition that began on Tuesday, has excited even Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, who shared the dream of railways with the Nepali people.
This taxi, which has excited Prime Minister Oli, Finance Minister Bishnu Poudel, as well as youth, entrepreneurs, businessmen, and consumers across the country, is the ‘Deepal Flying Taxi’, a joint product of Chinese automaker Changan-Ehang.
Due to the complex terrain, transportation is not easy in all districts. Remote areas and remote areas are still inaccessible by road. Lack of paved roads makes it difficult to connect rural communities to urban centers. But in such a situation, MAW has collaborated with Chinese car manufacturer Changan-Ehang Auto to launch an automatic electric vertical takeoff and landing air car to send the message that a new era of mobility has begun in Nepal, says Bishnukumar Agrawal, Managing Director of MAW Group.
He says, “This air taxi can be controlled from a single command area, no human pilot/driver is required within it.” Changan, considered the second competitor after BYD in China, calls it a drone car “designed for urban air transportation.” The model on display is a two-seater air car. It is a device with fully autonomous flight capabilities.
Changan Nepal, the official distributor of Deepal brand vehicles, brought it to Kathmandu from Shanghai via the Tatopani border crossing three days ago. It is an EH216-S model. The vehicle can fly at a maximum speed of 135 km per hour with a load of about 600 kg. Once fully charged, it can fly for a distance of 30 km or 25 minutes. It has state-of-the-art safety systems.
Air taxi that can carry two people for 21 minutes to launch at Bhrikuti Mandap, Kathmandu today
Called the EVTOL (Electronic Vertical Takeoff and Landing) car, it was first showcased at the NADA Auto Show. It has been claimed to be safe as there have been no incidents/accidents in the test flights so far. “It is more useful for point-to-point travel, sightseeing and surveying,” says Sikaria, Managing Director of MAW Growth.
The unmanned aircraft has eight motors, of which six can fly without malfunctioning. It has the ability to fly at an altitude of about 3 km and cover a distance of 30 km. The transparent cabin with a lightweight and strong carbon-fiber composite structure and modern design give passengers a panoramic view of the sky. Such vehicles are regulated by aviation authorities around the world. But this time it will not be flown in Nepal.
“Traffic congestion and urbanization are increasing all over the world,” says Gyanendra Bhul, deputy spokesperson for the authority. “In such a situation, flying cars can make travel faster, safer and more environmentally friendly. Its potential is even greater, especially in a country like Nepal with a mountainous terrain.” He says that before its use in Nepal, basic infrastructure such as charging stations, air corridors, traffic management systems and civil aviation laws need to be developed, he says.
After the demonstration, it will be returned to China. It is not yet available for sale in Nepal, costing at least 80 million rupees. But MAW has said that it will inspire scientific thinking and innovation among the young generation of Nepal. ‘This is not just a flying car, it is an important step towards the transportation system of the future, just as our thinking has been taken from walking to rail, now it will be taken from the road to the sky. If Nepal takes this technology forward in a planned manner, it can revolutionize tourism, emergency services and urban development,’ said Agrawal. ‘China is currently in the final stages of preparing for this flight, the UAE is now putting it into use soon.’
MAW is also exhibiting human-sized robots for the first time in Nepal at the exhibition. These robots interact directly with visitors and perform human-like activities, giving the audience a realistic experience.
According to the New York Times, earlier in 2020, Hyundai and Uber announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, USA, that they would collaborate to develop a fully electric air taxi as part of the future of air travel. Before that, auto and aviation professionals and entrepreneurs have been promising the mass production of flying cars for more than a century.
“The people of the valley, who have been facing problems like traffic jams on the city roads, lack of public transport, and having to waste hours of time and wait in lines to board their daily journeys, have shown great interest in the flying taxi of the future,” Bibek Sikaria, managing director of flying taxi importer MAW Briddhi, told Kantipur. “The biggest enthusiastic crowd at the fair was at Deepal’s stall. Nepali youth looked at the flying taxi with great interest. They asked questions. They took photos/videos.”
Chinese company Changan-Ehang produced it just four years ago. Sikaria says that about 400 of this model of flying taxi have been sold in China.
