"... very limited flight capability somewhere around the 20-minute mark..." AT 80kph, any city in the world could be 100% serviced by exiting 20 minute range electric VTOL machines.

Wy, oh why, oh why... put the batteries in the *roof*???!!!

“[T]here does appear to be another option: hydrogen. Hydrogen hasn't taken over in the automotive world due to storage and distribution challenges ... but its energy density is excellent ... enough to make air taxis a realistic commercial possibility -- using today's technology.”
You bet.

That would be three people if one of them is a child. Otherwise they would have to be model-thin and not carrying luggage.

why do they showcase this if it will not be built, disappointing...anyway i like the skai more, it's still my favourite... i just wish they can give us a demo flight it's obvious that the design is sound, we need to see it fly ! Nothing not a peep since the New Atlas article... :(

Hydrogen fc's is one way forward, batteries will catch up, the question is just, which will mature first. @editor, bring back the latest volo review on the front page list !

If by "modular" they meant that the top chassis(rotors/battery/flight control systems) separated from the "pod" below, this could be a very interesting design. If the top chassis could fly independently, it could land the pod, separate, and fly to its own servicing/charging station away from the pod's contents, e.g. passengers, or even on to the next pod/load to be flown, were the battery pack swappable as well. This would facilitate a lot of flexibility in making this a public-transport system, allowing a continuous flow of use.

paul314 : 250 kg is 551 pounds,so yes, it could lift two average American people.

George Kafantaris: Agreed. Elon Musk calls FCEVs bullshit. However, H2 fuelled fuel cells could indeed make these air taxis useful. https://www.zdnet.com/article/hydrogen-powered-air-taxi-yup-its-real/

Lol @michael_dowling
""paul314 : 250 kg is 551 pounds,so yes, it could lift two average American people.""

indeed 80kgs + is the average for the rest, so 3 people it is.

If Elon calls BS on FC, then he'd better put his money where his mouth is and show us his prototype giga factory battery that will give us 400 miles on a charge, for manned drones, if not let him build us a FC. Either way he's got the $$$ so put up because you can ??, or shut up.