Air Taxis

Piloting a cruise-capable eVTOL aircraft will be unlike flying anything that's come before it, thanks to fully digital fly-by-wire flight control systems. We jumped in Lilium's motion-rig simulator to learn how the system feels from the cockpit.

eHang is set to become the world's first company to get an electric VTOL air taxi type certified and into commercial service, after successfully completing its entire flight test program with China's aviation authority. Oh, and it's autonomous.

Leading UK eVTOL company Vertical Aerospace has suffered an expensive-looking setback just weeks into its off-tether flight test program. Its VX4 air taxi prototype reportedly hit the deck from about 20 ft up, snapping a wing and making quite a mess.

UK-based Vertical Aerospace has started flight-testing its full-size electric air taxi, but is now targeting a 2026 debut. The tilt-rotor VX4 eVTOL seats up to five, and promises more than 100 miles (160 km) of range, at speeds up to 200 mph (322 km/h).

The first production prototype has rolled off Joby Aviation's production line in Marina, California, and the FAA has cleared it to begin flight tests with a special airworthiness certificate. It's likely to be the first eVTOL delivered to a customer.

Last year, Tokyo-based SkyDrive announced plans to launch an eVTOL taxi service at the World Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan. Now the company is at the Paris Air Show to reveal design and specs changes and a production deal.

A fascinating eVTOL project is about to come out of stealth, showcasing a "breakthrough HyperDrive propulsion technology" that MagLev Aero claims is "dramatically more quiet, efficient, safe, sustainable and emotionally appealing to the mass market."

Whisper Aero says its electric aircraft propulsion systems are "20% more efficient and 100x quieter than anything else on the market." They're designed for drones, planes and possibly eVTOLs, and there's also a funky-looking concept plane.

On a recent trip to Europe, Loz Blain visited Lilium HQ outside Munich to see a spectacular full-size eVTOL mockup, fly the Lilium Jet in a motion rig simulator, tour the premises and meet the team. First stop: co-founder Daniel Wiegand.

Six months after revealing its production eVTOL air taxi design, Archer Aviation has shown off its first functional Midnight aircraft, with flight tests set to begin in the coming months – and manufacturing has already begun on a conforming prototype.

Fresh video shows that one of the most fascinating eVTOL aircraft designs we've seen is now flying at larger scale. The Transwing platform uses a unique dihedral folding wing system to move between hover and cruise modes, unlocking huge advantages.

Autoflight has debuted its 4th-gen full-size eVTOL air taxi prototype with a bang, celebrating the longest-ever recorded flight of an electric VTOL aircraft. Prosperity flew 250.64 km on a single charge, relegating Joby Aviation to second place.