(Yicai Global) March 3 -- An electric demonstration aircraft made by Chinese air taxi developer Autoflight has successfully completed a 250.3-kilometer flight on a single charge, setting a new world record for a vertical takeoff and landing aerial vehicle.

Prosperity 4 completed the distance rencently, Shanghai Observer reported, citing the Shanghai-based startup. Autoflight released a video of the entire flight, including vertical takeoff, fixed-wing cruise, and vertical landing.

The previous longest flight for an eVTOL was 248.8 km set in 2021 by Joby Aviation, a California-based eVTOL developer.

Prosperity 4 is a five-seat vehicle powered solely by electricity, with a maximum takeoff weight of 2 tons and maximum speed of over 200 kilometers per hour. It does not need airfield and runway facilities for takeoff and landing, and is quieter, safer, more reliable, and less costly than a helicopter, according to the company.

Autoflight Global President Omer Bar-Yohay said the firm is working to get the European Union Aviation Safety Agency’s airworthiness certification for the aircraft by 2025, according to the report.

Founded in 2017, Autoflight has an annual production capacity of 1,000 large eVTOL unmanned aerial vehicles at its manufacturing center in Kunshan, near Shanghai. Its management hail from  China, Europe, and the United States, according to the firm’s website.

Editor: Futura Costaglione