Electric Aircraft

Nearly three years after China began certifying next-gen electric "air taxis" for commercial flights, American contenders are still battling red tape with the FAA – but a new accelerator program will get them airborne across the USA this summer.

If you have a regional turboprop aircraft and wish that it was a bit more hybirdy, RTX may be able to accommodate you. The company is developing a combined thermal/electric propulsion system that not only increases efficiency but can be retrofitted into existing aircraft.

A hybrid-electric jet engine may seem as absurd as a horse-drawn Zeppelin, but GE Aerospace is ground testing a new megawatt-class hybrid turbofan engine and its full powertrain that is powerful enough to run a medium-haul narrow-body airliner.

Xpeng's AeroHT flying car unit has rebranded after an embarrassing air show fireball, and the Chinese company has announced a very Joby-esque long-range, high-speed air taxi to go along with some of its more bizarre offerings.

What could be better than strapping yourself into your own personal electric flyer? Racing with some buddies of course, and that's coming closer with the unveiling of the Jetson Air Games concept recently. Strap in, and join us for a demo vid.

Another air record has been (unofficially) broken as a prop-driven solar/electric aircraft reached the highest altitude yet for its type. On August 12, 2025, a modified Elektra One reached 31,237 feet (9,521 m) in the skies over Switzerland.

Electra is building an aircraft that can take off and land using an airfield that's one-tenth the size of a standard runway. To demonstrate "blown lift" aero and hybrid-electric propulsion capabilities, the EL2 prototype has just aced test flights.

BETA Technologies has delivered its ALIA CX300 electric CTOL to the company's first customer. The short-hop passenger aircraft will now be used to evaluate use cases and possible routes for zero-emission operation in the Nordic region.

Air-mobility startup FlyNow Aviation has removed the tethers from its stacked dual-rotor electric helicopter pod thing, and recorded the eCopter's first free flight at a test facility in Eastern Austria.

Designed to provide the range, speed and convenience conventional e-aircraft and e-boats lack, the otherworldly Regent Viceroy Seaglider has completed a major milestone, demonstrating the hydrofoil capabilities that serve as one of its three modes.

EDAG Group has a long history of creating some of the wildest vehicle concepts out there, including a pop-up sports car camper. Now it's jumping into the next generation of mobility, building the structure for the production AIR One short-hop eVTOL.

After flying the first production ALIA CX300 electric aircraft last November, BETA Technologies has now zipped four passengers into the John F. Kennedy International Airport, marking a key development milestone.