Solid-state batteries could determine the viability of flying eVTOL taxis. In November, another firm from China, EHang, launched a flight test of an eVTOL aircraft using solid-state batteries.
During those tests, it achieved a flight time of 48 minutes, representing a roughly 60 percent increase over previous tests.
However, there is still a long way to go. eVTOL taxis were expected to fly passengers for the first time at the Paris Olympics, courtesy of German firm Volocopter. The technology has hit a number of hurdles, key of which is high battery demand.
Electric vehicle sales, meanwhile, have slowed down in the last year. Many consumers have opted instead for hybrid vehicles, which combine internal combustion engines and electric motors. According to auto data firm Motor Intelligence, 1.9 million hybrid vehicles were sold in the US last year compared with 1.3 million all-electric models.