‘World’s first’ passenger-carrying drone takes flight – and could zip across London in minutes

THE world’s first passenger drone could soon zip brave riders to the pub at speeds of up to 80 miles per hour.

The Chinese-made EHang 216 uses 16 propellers to lift itself into the air and can carry two people for 21 minutes at a time.

The EHang 216 is a two-seater drone capable of carrying passengers for up to 21 minutes[/caption]

The vehicle was on display in the city of Guangzho, China over the weekend[/caption]

The electric vehicle has been in development for several years but was on display in the city of Guangzho, China over the weekend.

Images show the egg-shaped drone wrapped in cellophane and fenced off behind red ropes to keep passersby at a distance.

It’s not clear why the vehicle was on display.

Pilotless flying cars, dubbed eVTOLs (electric powered vertical takeoff and landing), could be operational as early as 2023.

They will travel on three-dimensional highways similar to those seen in sci-fi films such as Bladerunner and The Fifth Element.

The EHang 216, which is set to become the world’s first passenger drone, can carry passengers of up to 16st.

They’ll use a touch-screen to choose a destination up to 31 miles away and then be whisked off automatically by a command centre.

The chopper will be monitored at all times from a ground control room. Its propellers fold inwards so it can land in a standard parking space.

E-Hang will begin flying passengers first in Dubai. The company performed its first test flight above the city in 2017.

E-Hang has reportedly carried out thousands of test flights in China that included actual passengers.

Questions remain over the safety of eVTOLs. Some experts are worried how the vehicles will handle heavy winds, fog and other extreme weather.

However, that hasn’t stopped dozens of companies from across the world ploughing on with schemes to develop electric flying taxis.

French plane maker Airbus has already begun trialling such technology, taking a propeller-powered cab on a test flight in 2018.

Taxi-hailing app Uber is also developing its own fleet of flying vehicles.

Dallas-Fort Worth/Frisco and Los Angeles will offer US testbeds for the aerial ridesharing service.

Customers could book a seat using an app similar to Uber.

Singer Jess Glynn recently set a world record with a 160-strong drone performancecreated by coder kids.

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