Tcab Tech Secures $1 Billion eVTOL Order from UAE, Marking China's Largest Export Deal
Tcab Tech has announced a $1 billion agreement with UAE-based Autocraft for the purchase of 350 E20 eVTOL aircraft.
Tcab Tech, a Chinese electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturer, has announced a $1 billion agreement with UAE-based Autocraft for the purchase of 350 E20 eVTOL aircraft. This deal, signed today in Shanghai, represents the largest single eVTOL intent order for China to date, setting a new record for Chinese eVTOL exports.
The first batch of E20 aircraft is scheduled for delivery upon receipt of airworthiness certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).
The signing ceremony also saw in-depth technical discussions between Tcab Tech's engineering team and representatives from the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority. These discussions focused on the E20 eVTOL's airworthiness certification pathway, operational management regulations, and regulatory interface mechanisms, laying a foundation for the aircraft's commercial application in the UAE market.
The E20, Tcab Tech's flagship model, features a tilt-rotor configuration and pure electric propulsion. It is designed to carry five people (one pilot and four passengers) for a range of 200 kilometres (124 miles) at a maximum speed of 320 kilometres per hour (199 miles per hour). Its five-blade propeller design reduces vertical takeoff and landing noise to approximately 70 decibels, comparable to a conventional car, making it nearly imperceptible from the ground during cruise.
The E20's airworthiness certification application has been accepted by the East China Regional Administration of CAAC and is currently in the compliance verification phase, with certification and mass production expected by 2027.
"This is a strong vote of confidence from the international market in China's original aviation technology," stated Huang Yongwei, CEO of Tcab Tech and former Chief Engineer of Airbus China. Huang, who led the team in overcoming critical technologies such as tilt-rotor and flight control systems, envisions a future where "a flight from Shanghai to Suzhou might take only a dozen minutes, with costs potentially approaching that of ground taxis."
Huang Yongwei expressed confidence that the E20 is poised to become the first tilt-rotor eVTOL to obtain airworthiness certification in China.