Electric Aircraft

XPeng affiliate HT Aero has unveiled an outrageous flying car design that it claims is "planned for roll-out in 2024." It looks like an electric Bugatti hypercar with a pair of huge, auto-folding props in the style of the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey.

If anyone can think of a more perfect name for a personal eVTOL, we're listening! Sweden's Jetson Aero has already sold out the 2022 production run of this cute little single-seat kit build, which is capable of zooming along at 63 mph.

eHang certainly won't be alone in the skies when China's eVTOL air taxi market opens up. Two new projects have just been announced: the Autoflight V1500M, and the Pantuo Pantala – which frankly should be expecting a letter from Lilium's lawyers.

The fascinating CycloTech eVTOL prototype has taken its first flight tests, running its paddle steamer-style "Cyclogiro" propulsion system, which offers some interesting advantages over typical multirotor-style designs.

Japan's Tetra Aviation plans to start delivering single-seat electric VTOL lift and cruise aircraft to customers by the end of 2022, and it has now released video footage of its Mk-5 aircraft making test flights in California.

Craft Aero's nine-seat hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft promises 1,000-mile, 345-mph roof-to-roof inter-city hops – and it does so using a diamond-shaped blown box wing configuration and flap-vectored thrust design different to anything we've seen.

Rolls-Royce's high-speed, all-electric Spirit of Innovation aircraft has flown for the first time. On September 15, the speedster prop plane took off from the UK Ministry of Defence’s Boscombe Down site fora 15-minute flight.

Lilium's eVTOL is vastly different to anything else in the air taxi world, using 36 small ducted fans in place of larger rotors. One of the key advantages, says Lilium, is the reduced noise signature – and now we get to hear it for the first time.

The UK's Samad Aerospace is making progress with half-scale prototypes of its E-Starling eVTOL aircraft, and has now started taking pre-orders for a smaller cargo drone using a similar design and semi-vectored thrust propulsion system.

Piasecki's PA-890 slowed-rotor compound helicopter will be a remarkable enough aircraft in its own right – but the company is also working with HyPoint to develop a long-range, powerful hydrogen powertrain to sell to other eVTOL manufacturers.

An electric propulsion specialist and a supercar designer have partnered up on an eye-catching three-seat eVTOL claiming 250-mph top speeds and extraordinary 300-mile range figures, as well as some extreme flight dynamics and some nifty ideas.

Though Eviation's nine-seat all-electric passenger aircraft is not due to make its first flight until later this year, the company is already looking to diversify into cargo hauling, with DHL Express placing an order for 12 eCargo variants.