Air taxis are electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft that can carry up to two passengers or 600 pounds of cargo. They are powered by 16 electric rotors and can fly at speeds of up to 80 mph and distances of up to 18 miles. Imagine flying over the city in a pilotless, electric-powered aircraft that can take you from point A to point B in minutes without a pilot onboard. Sounds like science fiction, right? China-based Ehang has become the world's first company to receive airworthiness certification for its fully autonomous, passenger-carrying air taxis.

Before such flying vehicles can take off, however, there are a number of challenges, from needing new infrastructure to regulatory concerns, to convincing passengers that the technology is safe. For a start, Ehang will be working with the authorities in Guangzhou to build up infrastructure like landing and take off pads, according to Xiong. The company was recently picked by the Civil Aviation Administration of China as the country's first company to start a pilot program for the development of autonomous passenger drones. The startup is also working with Chinese regulators to develop an updated set of regulations to account for this new technology, as existing laws are lacking on this front. "We are seeing so much positive changes in the past several years," Xiong said. "When we started from … year 2016 ... nobody even know what is this all about.

Chinese company Ehang offered a glimpse this week of what could lie ahead, releasing its first video of passengers climbing aboard its autonomous drones and taking off with the push of a button. It's one of a bunch of companies racing to bring their different versions of computer-controlled airborne taxis to market. The contenders include big plane makers like Boeing (BA) and lesser-known startups. Ehang says it first managed to carry passengers in its drones back in 2015 and has since racked up at least 40 successful journeys. It hadn't shared footage of the flights publicly until this week.

Dubai, also called the Future City, will start testing aerial taxi transportation later this year. Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority announced the flying drones at the 2017 World Government Summit in February. The agency revealed plans Monday to start trials of its Autonomous Aerial Taxis during this year's fourth quarter. The agency also announced an agreement with the German company Volocopter to operate the autonomous passenger drones. When the project was first announced, the agency was working with drone company EHang for single-passenger autonomous flying vehicles. EHang was then replaced with Volocopter.

Remember that tiny flying taxi that caused a buzz at CES 2016? That's right, the egg-shaped contraption that resembles a kind of giant quadcopter. Well, it seems the simply named "184" vehicle is ready to take to the skies this summer, ferrying paying passengers around the Emirati city of Dubai, according to an AP report. Developed by Chinese firm EHang, the 184 takes its name from having one passenger, eight propellors, and four arms. Perhaps there should be a "0" too, for zero pilots.

Up, up and away: Dubai hopes to have a passenger-carrying drone regularly buzzing through the skyline of this futuristic city-state in July. The arrival of the Chinese-made EHang 184 -- which already has had its flying debut over Dubai's iconic, sail-shaped Burj al-Arab skyscraper hotel -- comes as the Emirati city also has partnered with other cutting-edge technology companies, including Hyperloop One. The question is whether the egg-shaped, four-legged craft will really take off as a transportation alternative in this car-clogged city already home to the world's longest driverless metro line. Mattar al-Tayer, the head of Dubai's Roads & Transportation Agency, announced plans to have the craft regularly flying at the World Government Summit. Before his remarks on Monday, most treated the four-legged, eight-propeller craft as just another curiosity at an event that views itself as a desert Davos.

A Chinese drone maker has revealed a giant quadcopter big enough to fit a passenger will be buzzing through the Dubai skyline in July. Dubbed EHang 184, the drone is described as the world's first'Autonomous Aerial Vehicle' for transporting people. The rider punches in a destination on a touch screen in front of the passenger seat, then the drone would fly there automatically. EHang is building the world's first'Autonomous Aerial Vehicle' for transporting people. The head of Dubai's Roads & Transportation Agency announced at the World Government Summit on Monday that the drone would be flying by July Mattar al-Tayer, the head of Dubai's Roads & Transportation Agency, made the announcement about it flight in Dubai today at the World Government Summit.

Almost exactly a year ago, Ehang surprised the world with its supersized drone, the 184, made for carrying a human passenger or artificial organs. Nevada even gave Ehang permission to test its quadcopter in the state as of June, but that was the last we heard from the drone maker, until now. As it turns out, the Chinese company has yet to perform a single test flight in the US, and earlier this month, it had to lay off about 70 people from its team of around 300, plus there were signs of financial problems -- including canteen food issues, missed payments to suppliers and diminishing consumer drone shipment numbers -- as far back as August, according to Chinese news site Xtecher. Perhaps to reassure worried folks, Ehang decided to shed some light on the 184's latest development. According to Ehang co-founder and CMO Derrick Xiong, his company has been mobilizing "a few" 184s that have so far accumulated over 200 test flights -- some were apparently fully autonomous -- in China.

A Chinese company claimed a world first on Wednesday by unveiling a drone capable of carrying a human passenger. Guangzhou-based Ehang Inc pulled the cloth off the Ehang 184 at the Las Vegas convention center during the CES gadget show. In a company video showing the 184 flying, it looks like a small helicopter but with four propellers spinning parallel to the ground in a similar configuration to other drones. The electric-powered drone can be fully charged in two hours, carry up to 100kg (220lb) and fly for 23 minutes at sea level, according to Ehang. The cabin fits one person and a small backpack and is fitted with air conditioning and a reading light.

While many companies are racing to perfect autonomous driving technologies, no one really meddles in the "flying drone taxi" category. But now, that may change. The world's first passenger drone capable of autonomously carrying a person in the air has been given clearance for testing in Nevada. A Chinese company called EHang, the Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems (NIAS), and the Governor's Office of Economic Development have all partnered to put EHang's drone through testing and regulatory approval. The drone--the electric Ehang 184 passenger drone--premiered in the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this January.