In 2026, China's low-altitude economy is undergoing a profound transformation from "storytelling" to "real combat." Following the official release of the CAAC's Airworthiness Standards for Powered-Lift Aircraft in February 2026, the industry has concluded its development phase without dedicated certification standards. eVTOL OEMs are now entering the final sprint for airworthiness certification. Behind this, a domestic supply chain spanning motors, batteries, and flight control systems is rapidly taking shape. So, how far has the localization of these three most core "puzzle pieces" actually come?
I. Motors: From "Six-in-One" to "Mount Emei," Domestic Aviation Power Takes Initial Shape The motor is the "heart" of an eVTOL, bearing the critical task of efficiently converting battery electrical energy into propeller lift. However, unlike industrial and automotive motors, aviation-grade motors face three stringent tests: high torque and high power density, safety redundancy, and reliability in complex environments such as alternating high and low temperatures, high humidity and heat, low air pressure, and salt spray. On June 5, 2026, a landmark event occurred—the AEE25 aviation electric engine, independently developed by the China Aero-Engine Control System Institute, completed the rollout and delivery of its first unit in Wuxi. This is China's first "six-in-one" fully integrated aviation motor, highly integrating six major functional units: the main motor, main motor controller, cooling system motor and controller, and variable-pitch actuator and controller. It achieves architectural optimization of the power system under limited space and weight constraints. In terms of core performance indicators, the AEE25 has set a domestic record for the highest torque density among 200kW-class aviation electric engines at 40 Nm/kg, reaching an internationally advanced level. Simply put, the higher the torque density, the lighter the relative weight of the motor, and the saved weight can be used for passenger capacity or extended range. The 200kW class perfectly matches the current mainstream 2- to 3-ton eVTOL models carrying 4 to 6 passengers. More notably, the AEE25 has entered the airworthiness phase and completed the SOI1 software and hardware airworthiness review, making it the fastest-progressing motor in China's eVTOL sector regarding airworthiness. It will be equipped on the TCab Tech E20 five-seat manned tiltrotor eVTOL. It is not just AECC. In April 2026, the "Yufeng" series low-altitude electric drive system, independently developed by CRRC Zhuzhou Electric, also obtained the "pass" in the aviation field. Meanwhile, at the supply chain conference in March 2026, Volant Aerotech officially released its self-developed aviation electric engine, "Mount Emei." It can be said that domestic aviation motors have transitioned from "laboratory prototypes" to "airworthiness-grade products," initially possessing the capability for coordinated development with eVTOL OEMs.
II. Batteries: The "Life-and-Death Race" from 300 to 400 The battery is the most critical bottleneck for eVTOLs and also the fastest-advancing sector within the domestic supply chain. In July 2026, Farasis Energy exclusively supplied its second-generation semi-solid-state battery, adapted for the eVTOL E20 model, to core customers, achieving an energy density of 340Wh/kg. This is just the beginning—Farasis Energy has planned to promote the mass production of its third-generation semi-solid-state battery with an energy density of 400Wh/kg. In terms of customer coverage, Farasis Energy's semi-solid-state batteries have secured design wins from low-altitude economy clients, including a leading U.S. eVTOL customer, TCab Tech, XPeng AeroHT, Volant Aerotech, and Zero Gravity. Some customers have entered the final stages of airworthiness certification. CATL's pace is equally noteworthy.
In August 2026, CATL announced that its aviation power battery system developed for manned eVTOLs has successfully passed the thermal runaway non-propagation verification for two adjacent cells—making it the world's first aviation power battery system using prismatic cells with an energy density of up to 350Wh/kg to pass this test. The entire test was completed under the witness of a designated representative of the CAAC. This battery system is now ready for mass production and will be first applied to AutoFlight's manned eVTOL aircraft. Another technical route is also advancing. In March 2026, the power battery equipped on the XPeng AeroHT X3-F flying car rolled off the mass production line at CALB's Chengdu factory. The cell energy density reaches 310Wh/kg, the maximum instantaneous discharge rate is up to 25C, and the continuous power output during flight is about 10 times that of electric vehicles. From 310Wh/kg to 350Wh/kg, and then to the planned 400Wh/kg, domestic aviation batteries are accelerating their iteration along a clear technical route. The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts that semi-solid-state batteries will be the only viable energy storage solution for the global eVTOL industry to achieve large-scale commercialization from 2026 to 2032—and Chinese companies are standing at the forefront of this track.
III. Flight Control Systems: From "Choke Points" to "Independent and Controllable" The flight control system is the "brain" and "central nervous system" of an eVTOL, responsible for sensing flight status, processing operation commands, and controlling power output, directly determining the safety performance of the aircraft. Among the three core components, flight control was once the segment with the lowest localization rate and the highest technical barriers. However, in 2026, this situation is being broken. Boundary Intelligent Control is a representative enterprise in the domestic flight control field. In April 2026, the company, founded in 2020, completed a Series B financing round of over 100 million RMB, becoming the first eVTOL flight control enterprise in China to complete Series B financing. Its independently developed REG300 flight control computer is the first "airworthiness-grade triple-redundancy dual-channel flight control" specifically developed for eVTOLs and the first to complete the CAAC's SOI1 stage review. In October 2025, the Volant VE25 model, equipped with Boundary Intelligent Control's REG300 flight control system, completed the country's first manned test flight of a ton-class eVTOL. In 2026, Boundary Intelligent Control has passed the software and hardware SOI1 reviews and the manufacturing conformity review, leading in airworthiness certification progress. Currently, Boundary Intelligent Control has established deep cooperation with leading domestic OEMs such as Volant, GAC Goody, EVT, and Tianlingke. Another important force comes from AVIAGE Intelligent Navigation (昂际智航). As a wholly-owned subsidiary of AVIAGE Systems (昂际航电), AVIAGE Intelligent Navigation inherits the technical genes of providing core avionics systems for the domestic C919 large aircraft.
In July 2026, at the Shanghai International Low-Altitude Economy Expo, AVIAGE Intelligent Navigation announced the launch of the Low-Altitude Avionics and Flight Control Open Ecosystem Alliance, uniting 13 industry chain partners including Kaithron Electronics, Senodia, and JONHON Optronic. As of now, AVIAGE Intelligent Navigation has established strategic cooperation with multiple OEMs, including Volant Aerotech, Dreaming Space, XPeng AeroHT, and EVT. At the 2026 Low-Altitude Expo, AVIAGE Intelligent Navigation signed cooperation orders for the airworthiness phase of two major leading models. From Boundary Intelligent Control's "single-point breakthrough" to AVIAGE Intelligent Navigation's "ecosystem construction," domestic flight control systems are moving from "usable" to "user-friendly," and from "substitution" to "leadership."
IV. Challenges and Outlook: What Is Still Missing in the Domestic Supply Chain? While the achievements are indeed remarkable, the challenges are equally impossible to ignore. First, the leap from "small-batch" to "large-scale." It is expected that from the second half of 2026 to 2027, aviation-grade battery and motor suppliers need to complete the leap from "small-batch trial production" to "stable supply of tens of thousands of units." This is a huge test for the supply chain's mass production capability, quality control capability, and cost control capability. Second, airworthiness certification remains the biggest threshold. In the current airworthiness certification process, reviewers usually need to intervene in the four stages from SOI1 to SOI4. Although some enterprises have passed SOI1, there is still a long way to go to obtain complete airworthiness certification. Flight control systems must meet the safety standards of civil aviation airliners. Third, there are still shortcomings in some segments. Experts point out that power, avionics, and flight control systems still lack aviation-grade products that meet the performance requirements of new low-altitude aircraft. Weak links such as industrial software, high-integrity electronic systems, material data, and airworthiness verification still need to be made up. But the overall trend is clear. As demonstrated by the 10-billion-yuan supply chain opportunity list released by Volant Aerotech at the 2026 Supply Chain Conference—focusing on the localization of core components, collaborative research on key technologies, and the construction of a mass production supporting system—OEMs are releasing long-term, stable, and large-scale demand. From the "six-in-one" AEE25 and "Mount Emei" in the motor field, to Farasis Energy's 340Wh/kg semi-solid-state battery and CATL's 350Wh/kg aviation battery in the battery field, and then to Boundary Intelligent Control's REG300 and AVIAGE Intelligent Navigation's open ecosystem in the flight control field—the core supply chain of China's eVTOL is undergoing a historic transformation from "point-like breakthroughs" to "systematic formation." The day these "Chinese hearts" truly complete airworthiness certification and achieve large-scale mass production may be the moment we truly take a ride in an "air taxi." Disclaimer: The images and materials are sourced from publicly available online data and are compiled here solely to disseminate industry information. If there are any errors, corrections are welcome. If there is any infringement, please add the author's WeChat to have the article deleted.