We are nearing the era of short-distance air-based commutes as several eVTOL companies present their aircraft near production. Two companies namely Joby Aviation and Volocopter have shown the reliability of their products by testing them out in New York City.
Electric Air Taxis
Citizens of New York City got to see what an eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft) is capable of as both companies flew their electric aircraft this weekend. This was part of a press conference wherein NYE Mayor Eric Adams made an important announcement.
Two heliports in Manhattan will be electrified to accommodate the eVTOLs, which could soon be one of the options for public commutes. The event is also a way of demonstrating the success of the products and encouraging others to invest.
As pointed out by Tech Crunch, the eVTOL industry will need a lot of funding for the commercial air taxi service to become more widely used in the coming years. Some companies have already garnered enough investments to move forward with their development.
Joby Aviation, for instance, already has acquired $325 million in state incentives and benefits. The company is building a new aircraft factory in Dayton, Ohio as well, indicating that the company will be manufacturing more electric aircraft soon.
This could be a major change in the system of transportation. For those who need or want to avoid congested traffic with ground-based transportation, they can opt for air travel instead. There won't be roads as well so they will get to their destination much faster.
Given that the aircraft is electric, it would also be a huge step forward to reducing carbon emissions brought by gas-fueled vehicles and other air-based transportation. It's the perfect timing as the car industry is slowly going electric as well.
More Brands on the Way
Just as cars have several brands, eVTOLs may also have several manufacturers in a couple of years. For example, Archer has also been conducting years of test flights to make sure that their product can be certified. After four years, they managed to achieve that goal.
The company's Midnight eVTOL has already been certified by the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) after four years of testing. Their next goal o is to continue advancing their test program to finally release Midnight for air taxi operations.
Like a lot of ridesharing vehicles, MIdnight can also carry up to four people. Its payload capacity is 1,000 pounds, although it's still limited to traveling short distances, as reported by Interesting Engineering. Still, it can shorten 60-90 minutes of travel to just 10-20 minutes.
It's not just air taxis that eVTOLs are being developed for. There have also been companies aiming to make private jets with the technology. Private jets are among the fuel-powered vehicles that have the heaviest carbon emissions.
Companies like Lilium are setting their eyes on customers who plan to buy their own electric aircraft. As an alternative to private jets, people can buy eVTOLs instead. However, it will cost almost twice as much with the $10 million price tag.
