AutoFlight’s Floating Solar Vertiport: A Game-Changer for eVTOL Expansion Over Water
In a bold push to overcome one of urban air mobility’s biggest bottlenecks—scarce land for infrastructure—Chinese eVTOL pioneer AutoFlight unveiled the world’s first zero-carbon water vertiport on November 22, 2025. This innovative floating platform, developed in partnership with battery giant CATL, transforms rivers, lakes, and coastal waters into dynamic hubs for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) operations. By enabling rapid deployment and sustainable charging, it promises to accelerate the global eVTOL industry, particularly in water-rich regions, fueling projections for a $490 billion low-altitude economy in China alone by 2035.
The Tech Behind the Splash
The vertiport is a fully electric, mobile “aerial hub” designed for seamless sea-air integration. Key features include:
- Solar-Powered Deck: A spacious landing pad covered in photovoltaic panels generates clean energy for on-site charging, eliminating reliance on fossil fuels and achieving true zero-carbon status.
- Integrated Command Center: The onboard cabin doubles as a passenger lounge and technical control room, housing intelligent dispatch systems, communication tools, and data-sharing tech for real-time eVTOL coordination.
- Flexible Deployment: As a floating structure, it can be quickly positioned across water bodies, supporting takeoff, landing, and maintenance without the need for costly land acquisition or lengthy permitting.
It’s compatible with AutoFlight’s flagship eVTOL lineup, including the heavy-lift “White Shark” for industrial cargo, the 2-ton “CarryAll” transporter, and the 6-seat “Prosperity” passenger model—forming a complete land-sea-air ecosystem for point-to-point travel.
Tackling Urban Air Mobility Hurdles
Traditional vertiports face steep challenges: limited urban space, slow construction timelines (often years), and regulatory red tape. This water-based solution sidesteps those by leveraging underutilized aquatic areas, cutting deployment time to weeks and reducing environmental impact. In tests, it slashed offshore energy platform access from hours (via boats) to under one hour—more than 10 times faster—while pairing with drones halves maritime rescue response times. For commuters, a 31-mile cross-sea hop takes just 20 minutes, with fares potentially as low as $42, making high-frequency urban links viable.
Five Core Use Cases Driving Adoption
AutoFlight envisions broad applications to supercharge eVTOL growth:
- Energy Platform Maintenance: Streamlines logistics for offshore wind farms and oil rigs, boosting efficiency in remote marine operations.
- Emergency Response: Expands search-and-rescue coverage, enhancing survival rates with faster aerial deployment.
- High-Frequency Commuting: Connects coastal cities, bay areas, and islands, turning water barriers into shortcuts.
- Marine-Aerial Tourism: Elevates luxury experiences with “flight-plus” adventures over scenic waterways.
- Mobile Vertiport Clusters: Networks multiple platforms for scalable, high-throughput hubs in busy ports.
Boosting the eVTOL Industry: China Leads, World Follows
This debut aligns with China’s aggressive low-altitude economy push, valued at $210 billion in 2025 and eyeing explosive growth through urban air taxis, cargo drones, and offshore logistics. By 2030, such systems could service over half of key ports and link major city clusters, with deployments ramping up in the next 3-5 years. Globally, it sets a scalable blueprint for eVTOL infrastructure in places like the U.S. Gulf Coast, European fjords, or Southeast Asian archipelagos—where water covers vast expanses but land is premium. Experts hail it as a “major hurdle solver” for air taxis, potentially unlocking billions in new revenue while advancing carbon-neutral aviation.
AutoFlight plans to roll out initial units to early clients soon, with eyes on a connected, emission-free future blending skies and seas. As eVTOL certification milestones loom (like FAA approvals in 2026), innovations like this could propel the sector from prototype to everyday reality—watch for splashy demos on the Yangtze or Pearl River deltas.