DJI’s unreleased EV50 composite‑wing VTOL cargo drone has achieved a groundbreaking flight, soaring to 8,861 meters above Mount Everest during a Chinese scientific mission. This marks the highest altitude ever reached by a vertical takeoff and landing cargo drone in public testing, showcasing its potential for extreme‑environment logistics.
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The EV50 blends vertical lift with fixed‑wing cruising efficiency. Equipped with eight rotors for takeoff and landing, it transitions to fixed‑wing mode to cruise at 40–55 m/s, while withstanding fierce glacier winds of up to 20 m/s. Its fully electric powertrain ensures zero emissions, a vital feature for clean atmospheric sampling. Over 12 days on Everest’s north slope, the drone completed 32 sorties, climbing 3,730 meters while carrying scientific instruments.
DJI’s connection with Everest goes back to 2009, when founder Wang Tao tested small unmanned helicopters on the plateau. Since then, the mountain has served as the company’s ultimate proving ground, with models like the Phantom 2 Vision+, Mavic 3 (launched from the summit in 2022), and FC30 cargo drones (operating on the south slope since 2024).
During this latest campaign, DJI also unveiled the FC100 cargo drone, capable of transporting 80 kg of supplies in just 8 minutes—a task that previously required a 7‑hour manual trek. Meanwhile, the M4 E mapping drone conducted the first survey of Khumbu Icefall crevasses, helping Sherpas chart safer climbing routes.
The EV50 is not only designed for scientific exploration but also for routine 100‑kilometer cargo transport in challenging terrains. Its successful Everest mission validates its reliability for mountain village resupply, cross‑island logistics, emergency response, and wide‑area aerial surveying. DJI has already identified two deployment sites: Danba County in Sichuan, where landslides often block roads, and Ningshan County in Shaanxi, where delivery routes are forced into long detours.
Source: pandaily.com
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