Autoflight, a Chinese eVTOL (Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing) startup backed by battery giant CATL $3750 (+1.88%) has unveiled a water-based vertiport to deploy electric air cabs beyond land-based locations.
Autoflight today unveiled the solution it has developed with CATL: a battery-powered vessel that integrates an eVTOL landing platform, photovoltaic energy storage and charging systems, dispatch capabilities and communications infrastructure.
According to Autoflight, this is the first integrated sea-to-air solution in the eVTOL sector, extending the eVTOL infrastructure to waters to overcome challenges such as difficult siting, slow deployment and complex launch/landing operations.
The solution supports five primary application scenarios: Energy Platform Maintenance, Emergency Rescue, High-Frequency Commuting, Sea-to-Air Tourism and Mobile Vertiport Clusters.
Designed specifically for eVTOL operations, the Vertiport utilizes all-electric power to support eVTOL take-off, landing and recharging while enabling data exchange and coordination with the aircraft.
Founded in 2017, Autoflight is headquartered in Shanghai and is one of China's first eVTOL companies aiming to provide solutions for air logistics and air mobility.
On August 3, 2024, CATL signed an agreement with the company to exclusively invest several hundred million dollars in it, becoming a strategic investor.
This was CATL's first publicly announced investment in an eVTOL manufacturer as the world's largest battery manufacturer expands beyond electric vehicles (EVs) into new areas.
Autoflight's current product lineup consists primarily of high-tonnage eVTOLs, including Prosperity, CarryAll, Albatross and White Shark.
To date, the company has received 2,000 commercial orders, Kellen Xie, senior vice president of Autoflight, said today at an event in Kunshan, Jiangsu.
Autoflight conducted the first public flight demonstration of its integrated air-sea solution at Dianshan Lake in Kunshan, where a 2-ton EVTOL completed a vertical take-off and landing from the Vertiport, followed by an automated return flight.
The company also demonstrated multi-aircraft formation flying capabilities, with three 2-ton eVTOLs performing a live-load airdrop mission with cargo delivery and life raft deployment.
The integrated sea-to-air solution demonstrates the potential of CATL batteries for wider applications as the company expands its business from passenger cars to commercial vehicles, electric ships and electric aircraft.
Since entering the marine electrification sector in 2017, CATL says it has supplied batteries for over 860 electric and hybrid vessels.
