How Much Will It Cost to Fly on eVTOL Air Taxis?

Electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft are years away from entering service, but the discussion is already under way about passenger prices.

Thom Patterson

Friday, October 22, 2021 at 12:32 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Initial projections for eVTOL passenger costs, ranging from $2.25 to $11 per mile, are considered optimistic by experts, with realistic estimates for a 25-mile trip being closer to $110, comparable to a black car livery service.
The envisioned on-demand rideshare model for eVTOLs faces significant challenges in achieving the high aircraft utilization necessary to cover their substantial costs; a scheduled network could improve utilization but may reduce customer appeal.
Actual passenger prices will be heavily influenced by "end-to-end" journey costs (including ground transport to vertiports), the vast investments required for manufacturing and infrastructure, and potential expenses for pilot training and competitive salaries.
Despite billions in investment and ongoing development, experts predict many eVTOL companies may not succeed, and the industry's ultimate impact on urban transportation and its realized costs are likely to be more modest and higher than current optimistic predictions.

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Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxis are years from being commercially available, but that’s not keeping people from asking: How much will passengers be asked to pay to fly on these new aircraft?

Altogether, investors have been betting billions of dollars on eVTOL companies like Joby Aviation, Lilium, Volocopter and others that are promising to build an entirely new form of convenient, safe, and environmentally friendly urban transportation.