EVTOL Air Products Speeding Toward 2024 Scaled Launch

EVTOL technology, the go-to term for electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle, is turning into the new investment darling of airlines and aerospace watchers and could ready to taxi passengers over the likes of Los Angeles and Paris as early as 2024. These are mann and unmann concepts that buzz around like drones using carbon-neutral technology to ferry small groups and individuals from one clear location to another in quiet, speedy and smooth comfort. 

And while several new companies are joining the eVTOL race to be first out and finding hefty rounds of funding and strategic partnerships in the process, the going has not been smooth. With less than two years to make the golden mark, all teams are a go, even if some of the results are not. 

Several top names in aviation R&D have taken a few nose dives during their testing sessions, according to several news reports. Whether Boeing Co., Aurora Flight Sciences Corp., Textron Inc.’s Bell helicopter division, Page’s Kitty Hawk Corp., Joby Aviation Inc. or Lilium NV – some of these backed by the biggest names in technology — the only way up is through a lot of downs. Crashes, mid-air breaks, power cuts, battery explosions … all are on the table and moving fast, hopefully to get the failure part of any success out of the way. The stakes are high. Rather than relying on traditional combustion engines, eVTOL aircraft are designed to use electric motors, providing carbon-free flights and to be used as “air taxis’ in urban markets.

US Federal Aviation

Meanwhile, the US Federal Aviation Administration is in the throes of trying to certify these new aircraft ventures by 2024, if possible. Acting Administrator Billy Nolen noted in a speech in June that the agency was expecting to meet that goal pending safety of the new designs, which are, essentially pushing the edge on technology on several fronts. 

One of those companies pushing through the technology is Joby Aviation, which has gone on record saying that by 2030, the company will the world’s largest airline by departures. The eVTOL prototypes, which have seen their share of test mishaps, are currently set up as pilot aircraft that will eventually change to autonomous aircraft. Currently, a pilot and four passengers would able to travel at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour and land more or less anywhere. 

Another contender for the eVTOL space is San Francisco-base Wisk, which is in the process of debuting its 6^th Gen air taxi that is describe as an Autonomous flight product with human oversight. The eVTOL company is back by The Boeing Company and Kitty Hawk Corporation and hopes to redefine long-standing concepts of flight and usher in a safer, scalable, and more accessible era in aviation. The current, 12-propeller model spans under 50 feet wide, seats four people with carryon items, and has a range of 60 – 90 miles at 120 knots at altitudes of 2,500-4,000 feet. Wisk’s 6th Generation eVTOL aircraft is design to be a convenient service for everyone, with a price target of $3 per passenger, per mile. Cost models amid contending companies range from $2.25 per mile to $11. 

Final Words Of EVTOL

In September, United Airlines double down on the future of hyper-local air transport power by eVTOL technology by signing an agreement with EVE Air Mobility. The $15 million provisional deal with Eve—an Embraer-back developer—adds to a previous $1 billion conditional deal the airline cut with Archer Aviation and includes the purchase of 200 four-seater air taxis and/or eVTOLs, pending flight testing, certification, and production. 

“United has made early investments in several cutting-edge technologies at all levels of the supply chain,” said Michael Leskinen, President of United Airlines Ventures in a recent announcement (United was the first major U.S. airline to create a corporate venture fund, United Airlines Ventures (UAV), design to support the company’s 100% green commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050 without the use of traditional offsets). 

“United is making history again, by becoming the first major airline to publicly invest in two eVTOL companies. Our agreement with Eve highlights our confidence in the urban air mobility market and serves as another important benchmark toward our goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 – without using traditional offsets. Together, we believe our suite of clean energy technologies will revolutionize air travel as we know it and serve as the catalyst for the aviation industry to move toward a sustainable future.”