eVTOL

Volocopter’s mission is simple: bring urban air mobility to life. A Volocopter 2X flight at EAA AirVenture on Tuesday, July 27, helped refine that mission. It represented the first ever publicly-crewed test flight of a fully electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) air taxi in the US. The aircraft took off at 2:45 pm and […]

Flying 150 nm on a single charge, the full-sized, electric-powered prototype of the eVTOL developed by Joby Aero marked a milestone earlier this month, the company announced on July 27 at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The mission, part of Joby’s continuing flight-test program, was carried out near the Joby Electric Flight Base at Big […]

There are those of us aviators who can relate to the license-plate holder: “I’m Not Driving Fast—I’m Flying Low.” While the need for speed on the ground is more than adequately satisfied with Porsche’s 911 Turbo S—within certain driving jurisdictions—the need for speed in the air can arguably be met with the Embraer Phenom 300E. […]

You’re not alone if keeping track of the dozens of new electric flying vehicles has your head spinning. Two significant players are Archer Aviation and Wisk Aero. California-based Archer plans to create the world’s first all-electric airline and has already secured orders for regional electric airliners from United Airlines, while Wisk is a joint venture […]

Joby Aviation has selected the Garmin G3000 integrated flight deck—which first debuted in 2009—for its eVTOL aircraft, bringing proven avionics into the program to develop commercial operations—which it expects to launch by 2024. The G3000 avionics suite was selected in part for its lightweight, adaptable architecture and high-resolution displays. Garmin anticipates future development in the urban air mobility space, […]

California-based Archer, creating the world’s first all-electric airline, plans to collaborate with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) to access the automobile giant’s low-cost supply chain, advanced composite material capabilities, and engineering and design experience. Archer will manufacture high-volume, composite, electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, with the intent of starting production in 2023. FCA, the parent company […]

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) and the European Organization for Civil Aviation Equipment (EUROCAE) recently signed a memorandum of understanding to begin developing aviation industry standards to address issues such as hybrid electric propulsion, VTOL, cybersecurity and speed up the implementation of these new technologies. According to a news release, EUROCAE “develops standards for […]

The GoFly Prize is an innovation competition that hopes to be the catalyst for the creation of personal flyers as a first step towards transforming the future of transportation with flying cars, flying motorcycles, hoverboards, jetpacks, human-carrying drones, and other personal flyers. The challenge’s Final Fly-off was held on Leap Day (February 29) at Moffett […]

Joby Aviation has earned its latest financial infusion from Toyota Motor Corporation in the development of its all-electric VTOL aircraft. Toyota plans to “share expertise in manufacturing, quality and cost controls” during the development of the “quiet” eVTOL aircraft, according to a company press release. Toyota has invested $394 million as a lead investor in […]

Hyundai Motor Company this week unveiled its Personal Air Vehicle at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. The company calls the PAV—an autonomous electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle—the centerpiece of its urban air mobility vision for smart city transportation. Hyundai and Uber tapped specialty design-engineer-build firm Aria Group to bring the one-of-a-kind, […]