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Most of these electric air taxis are being flight tested, preparing for the first revolution in air travel since the commercial jet.
Courtesy eHang
With the potential to have a much larger fleet than commercial airlines, eVTOLs represent the next frontier in air travel: fully electric air taxis and private sky limos that can take off and land from vertiports in congested cities, or travel from private airports across regions faster than a train.
The advanced air mobility (AAM) sector is heating up quickly, with funding accelerating by the year. In 2021, investors poured $6.9 billion into more than 60 eVTOL deals, compared to just $1 billion three years earlier. With many startups going public, and automakers and commercial airlines signing on as partners, the sector is on a fast track towards certification. Public anticipation is high around the world, according to a recent survey by McKinsey & Company, particularly in commuter-hell supercities.
How and where the aircraft will be flown are still not clear, and widespread adoption isn’t expected for another decade. But manufacturers are rushing headlong to complete flight tests and certify their aircraft to move towards commercial service.
Two years ago, air taxis still sounded like 1960s sci-fi, but the eVTOL world is on track to become reality. Here are seven models slated to take off by 2025.
Volocopter VoloCity
The Volocopter VoloCity is a two-seat eVTOL that uses 18 rotors to propel the air taxi up to 22 miles. The German company plans to launch commercial services in Paris in time for the 2024 Summer Olympics in that city. It is currently working toward achieving certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
Photo : Courtesy Joby Aviation
Joby Aviation eVTOL
Joby Aviation is working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to certify its eVTOL for commercial air-taxi service by 2025. It has been testing different iterations of its electric craft since 2018, and is considered a frontrunner in the eVTOL race. The electric aircraft features six propellers with four batteries in its wings, giving it a range of up to 150 miles and top speed of 200 mph. It can seat four passengers and a pilot.
Launched in 2009, the public company is one of the oldest players in the burgeoning electric air taxi space and one of the best-funded, too: Toyota has invested nearly $400 million to help Joby develop and manufacture the eVTOL.
Lilium Jet
Lilium is taking orders for its $10-million Lilium Pioneer Edition, which it expects to launch following certification by the end of 2025. The jet can seat up to six passengers and their suitcases. The storage area behind the last two rows feature space for three golf bags. Buyers can customize their Pioneer Edition with amenities such as a plug-in sky bar module. The company says that eVolare, a subsidiary of United Kingdom-based Volare Aviation, has ordered 10 Lilium Pioneer Editions with an option to buy 10 more.
Archer Midnight
The Archer Midnight can carry up to four passengers plus a pilot for a 1,000-pound payload. The eVTOL can travel up to 100 miles at a top speed of 150 mph, shortening a 90-minute ground trip to a 10-minute flight, at a cruising altitude of 2,000 feet.
The Midnight is optimized for rapid, back-to-back 20-mile trips in and around cities. Archer says it’s up to 100 times quieter than a helicopter. The aircraft features six batteries that power 12 tilt rotors for vertical takeoff and landing. Six of the rotors pivot forward once airborne for horizontal flight. The batteries take 10 minutes to charge between flights.
The company is working towards FAA certification in 2024 and expects to begin deliveries in 2025. United Airlines has placed a $10-million deposit for 100 of the eVTOL.
Autoflight Prosperity 1
Autoflight is seeking EASA certification to start commercial operations for Prosperity 1, its four-person air taxi, by 2025. The firm has a design center in Munich and will manufacture in China. It says the eVTOL can fly faster than 130 mph with a range of more than 150 miles. The Prosperity 1, which seats three passengers and a pilot, has a maximum payload of more than 900 pounds. The design is a cross between a helicopter and a fixed-wing plane. It uses rotors to provide lift but operates like a fixed-wing aircraft when in flight.
Ehang EH216
The EH216 from Chinese firm Ehang is designed to be fully autonomous—the bubble-shaped compartment seats two passengers and no pilot. The aircraft is monitored by a control center on the ground which can take over in order to land it in an emergency. It has a range of 21 miles and a top speed of 80 mph. EHang said it received a pre-order for 50 eVTOLs from AirX, a Japanese helicopter flight-booking platform that plans to use it for air-taxi services and tourism. EHang is seeking certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China to begin commercial operations by 2025.
Photo : Courtesy Vertical Aerospace
Vertical Aerospace VX4
Vertical Aerospace is readying its VX4 for commercial flight by mid-decade. The UK firm says the eVTOL can carry four passengers and one pilot in “near-silent” flight with a range of up to 100 miles and a cruise speed of 150 mph. With partners Honeywell and Rolls-Royce, Vertical Aerospace plans to certify the aircraft globally for use by airlines and other transport partners.
