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:

eVTOL companies project passenger fares ranging from $2.25 to $11 per mile, but industry experts are skeptical these optimistic estimates fully account for the immense capital, manufacturing, and operational costs involved.
Several factors will influence actual pricing, including the need for "end-to-end" journey costs (first and last-mile ground transport), the challenge of achieving high aircraft utilization with an on-demand model, and the expenses associated with pilot training.
Comparisons to existing helicopter air taxi services and detailed cost analyses suggest eVTOL flights will initially be priced more like premium black car services, targeting a high-end clientele rather than everyday commuters.
The eVTOL industry faces substantial hurdles, with many startups expected to fail; while the technology may eventually disrupt the civil rotorcraft sector, its widespread and affordable transformation of urban transportation is currently uncertain.

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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.