1 minute read
EHang Vertiports
Treetop Tourism
EHang partners with Giancarlo Zema Design Group to build an ecosustainable vertiport as an aerial hub for tourists.
Urban air mobility is perhaps one of the most significant advances in transportation in recent years, with electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft capable of reducing road congestion and cutting pollution. And while the technology and investment for such vehicles is in place, there’s a notable lack of infrastructure to serve the sector.
With that in mind, EHang Holdings – a specialist in autonomous aerial vehicles – has partnered with Italian architecture firm Giancarlo Zema Design Group (GZDG) to develop a vertiport in Italy.
Inspired by Africa’s native Baobab tree, GZDG created a 30m-high tower topped by a podium, with the steel structure wrapped in vertical bands of curving laminated wood. The vertiport is clad in photovoltaic panels that can generate over 300kW of electric power per day, while the platform is equipped with fully independent plug-and-play ports that can be used to recharge EHang’s passenger-grade vehicles.
The take off-and-landing platform is set on the rooftop above a café, waiting room and 200m2 restaurant offering panoramic views of the surrounding landscape, with the venture opening up opportunities for a range of facilities including bars, events spaces and even accommodation.
GZDG’s concept will serve EHang’s electric passenger-grade autonomous aerial vehicles, which have been designed as an eco-friendly, low-altitude, short-and-medium-haul transportation solution. They feature a doublecurved windshield for wider vision and a better view, a luggage trunk and ergonomic seats inspired by F1 sports cars.
EHang and GZDG believe that their vertiports can serve as aerial hubs for tourists, taking the pressure off densely-packed urban zones where street-level development space is hard to come by. They aim to take their concept global with sites planned in Europe and Southeast Asia, introducing transport solutions and public facilities at each destination.
