AutoFlight has successfully completed China’s first 2-ton-class eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft) dedicated spring tea transport trial in Guizhou, a mountainous province in western China.
The trial deployed AutoFlight’s CarryAll (V2000CG) – a fully autonomous, unmanned eVTOL aircraft – to transport fresh spring tea between Anshun and Guiyang, two Guizhou cities approximately 120 km apart.
The unmanned flight crossed rugged mountain terrain in just 37 minutes, a significant improvement over road transportation in the region, where winding mountain routes make timely delivery a persistent challenge.
Following the eVTOL air transfer, the fresh tea was transported by a logistics company via high-speed rail for long‑haul delivery from Guiyang to Shanghai, covering a distance of nearly 2,000 kilometers.
The integrated “eVTOL + high-speed rail” model enabled same-day delivery, bringing freshly picked tea from remote western mountain plantations to consumers in major eastern cities within 24 hours, preserving optimal freshness and flavor.
Core advantages of the autonomous eVTOL solution
- Autonomous flight capability: No onboard pilot needed, enhancing safety and operational efficiency for cargo transport
- High-speed performance: 37 minutes for the 120km mountain crossing, cutting transit time by hours compared to traditional ground transport
- Freshness preservation: Shortened in-transit time preserves the unique, crisp taste and aromatic notes of premium spring tea
- Eco-friendly: All-electric powered, zero operational emissions and low noise, aligning with sustainable development goals
- High flexibility: Vertical take-off and landing capability, no runway required for point-to-point direct delivery
The CarryAll (V2000CG) is the world’s first 2-ton-class eVTOL aircraft to obtain Type Certificate (TC), Production Certificate (PC) and Airworthiness Certificate (AC) from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).
As a fully autonomous unmanned cargo aircraft, it boasts exceptional performance for a wide range of logistics scenarios:
- Maximum payload: 400 kg
- Maximum range: up to 200 km
- Cruise speed: approximately 180 km/h
- Ideal for: urban logistics, emergency material delivery, agricultural cold chain transport and remote area cargo services
Li Yun, CCO of AutoFlight, says: “This innovative ‘autonomous eVTOL air transfer + high-speed rail trunk line’ model breaks logistics bottlenecks in high-altitude mountainous areas.
“AutoFlight will join hands with more partners to extend this efficient, green autonomous cargo model to more specialty agricultural producing areas.
“This will help more high-quality local agricultural products reach national markets quickly, driving regional industrial upgrading and rural revitalization.”
AutoFlight’s cargo eVTOL models have conducted flight operations in real-world scenarios, including offshore oil platforms, intercity agricultural product transportation, and emergency fire-fighting, collaborating with global customers to advance the commercialization process of eVTOL.
In addition, its 6-seat passenger eVTOL model V2000EM Prosperity is currently undergoing civil aviation airworthiness certification by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) and has entered the Phase IV compliance verification stage.
