Vertical Take-Off Air Taxis Are A Solution In Search Of A Problem (Part 1)
There’s a deep disconnect between the purported urban taxi business models and most of the graphics these eVTOL companies use, which hides a yawning chasm of reality.
eVTOL
NASA Begins Air Taxi Flight Testing with Joby
NASA began flight testing Monday with Joby Aviation’s all-electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft as part of the agency’s Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) National Campaign. This testing runs through Friday, Sept.10, at Joby’s Electric Flight Base located near Big Sur, California. This is the first time NASA will test … [continued]
Air Taxi Startup Kitty Hawk Buys Out Former DJI Competitor 3D Robotics
Kitty Hawk, the air taxi company founded by Google’s co-founder Larry Page, is buying 3D Robotics, a former competitor of DJI in the consumer drone market. CEO of 3DR, former editor of Wired magazine Christian Anderson, will join Kitty Hawk as chief operating officer. Kitty Hawk, named after the town … [continued]
China × Cleantech — May 2021
Welcome to China × Cleantech — May 2021 edition. Our China x Cleantech series covers top cleantech stories in China each month. EV Sales 10% Plugin Vehicle Share In China! On the 26th of May, José Pontes reported on the sales numbers of the Chinese EV market in April of 2021. April … [continued]
Airspeeder’s Electric Flying Racing Car Takes Maiden Flight
Flying racing cars are the stuff of science fiction dreams and futuristic video games. People of a certain age may remember the Wipeout game series that debuted on the very first Playstation console. More people are probably familiar with podracing as a sport that takes place in the Star Wars … [continued]
Volocopter Unveils New 4-Seater eVTOL To Connect Suburbs To The City
German eVTOL startup Volocopter has unveiled a new aircraft, the VoloConnect. This new aircraft differs from its existing offerings in that it is aimed at connecting suburbs to cities, rather than providing transport within a city. Volocopter is one of the more well-known eVTOL companies and is also at an … [continued]
EHang & Giancarlo Zema Design Group Partner To Build A Tree-Like “Vertiport” In Italy
The autonomous aerial vehicle company EHang has announced a partnership with Italian architecture firm Giancarlo Zema Design Group (GZDG) to move its air mobility solutions forward in the EU. EHang is one of the most active and arguably most promising eVTOL companies in the world, and this new project is … [continued]
UPS Orders 10 Electric Vertical Takeoff & Landing Aircraft
UPS gives the eVTOL industry a boost, and especially startup Beta Technologies, by placing an order for actual eVTOL aircraft.
Joby Aviation Set To Take Its eVTOL Public In $6.6B SPAC Deal
Santa Cruz-based Joby Aviation has been quietly working on its tilt-rotor eVTOL air taxi for over a decade now, but seems to have taken a big step forward after going public via a reverse merger with a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, called Reinvent Technology Partners. That deal results … [continued]
Airspeeder Shows Off Mk3 Flying Car Design, Plans Manned Racing in 2022
The mentalists at Australian flying-car company Alauda recently showed off the third version of their highly anticipated Airspeeder eVTOL (dubbed “Mk3”). That alone would be newsworthy, but it’s the second part of Alauda’s announcement that’s more impressive — that’s not the part where the company plans some RC-style remote flying … [continued]
