Air Taxis

Wisk Aero has bumped up the passenger-carrying capacity of its upcoming air taxi from two to four, and none of those will be a pilot. The company intends to take its 6th-gen autonomous eVTOL to market, and will now be seeking FAA type certification.

German eVTOL company Lilium has released test flight video of its stunning Phoenix 2 air taxi prototype making full transitions from vertical takeoff, to horizontal cruise flight, some turning maneuvers and a vertical landing – with full camera audio.

With plans to introduce an air taxi service at the World Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, SkyDrive has announced that lessons learned from the development of its sporty SD-03 single-seat prototype have informed the design of a new two-seater SD-05 eVTOL.

The team behind the ADIFO omnidirectional, supersonic flying saucer has designed and prototyped an interesting and unique eVTOL design with an extraordinarily quick and simple method of transitioning between vertical and horizontal flight modes.

UK company Vertical Aerospace has celebrated the first flight of its spectacular full-scale VX4 eVTOL air taxi prototype, demonstrating its faith in the design by taking the unusual step of putting a pilot on board. It's due to enter service in 2025.

Zeva is moving to prototype a second-generation version of its radically different take on eVTOL flight. The Z2 remains a tail-sitting flying saucer that flies a single person head-first at high speeds, but the new model makes some practical changes.

While pilots often use an autopilot at high altitudes, they typically switch to manual control when entering crowded lower airspaces. However, what if the plane has no pilot? Well, a new AI autopilot system for busy airspaces may be the answer.

With the increasing development of eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) "air taxis," it shouldn't come as a surprise that automakers are moving into the field. This week, Volkswagen Group China unveiled its own effort, the V.MO.

Toronto's Horizon Aircraft has unveiled a 50% prototype of its gorgeous – and very unique – electric VTOL air taxi. The Cavorite X5 separates itself from the pack as the only eVTOL that completely covers its lift fans for super low-drag cruise flight.

Embraer spinoff Eve has changed tack on its eVTOL aircraft design, unveiling a new single-wing lift and cruise design, as well as a refreshingly utilitarian-looking mockup of its passenger cabin, at this week's Farnborough air show outside London.

The world's second largest aircraft engine manufacturer is developing a series of compact, lightweight, highly efficient and fully certified turbogenerators, designed to radically upgrade the range and payload capabilities of any eVTOL aircraft.

The eVTOL age is just a couple of years from dawning. We caught up with Archer's Director of Business Development, Andrew Cummins, to learn what the first steps will look like when electric air taxis begin taking to the skies in 2024-25.